Ecolab Delivers Sales Growth of 13 Percent in 3Q

ST. PAUL, MN – Strong execution drove broad-based acceleration with sales growth of 13 percent for Ecolab in the third quarter.

The provider of water and hygiene solutions recorded a profit of $551.3 million, or $1.97 per share, on sales of $4.7 billion, compared to a profit of $585 million, or $2.06 per share, on sales of $4.61 billion in last year’s third quarter.

“Third quarter results marked an inflection point in Ecolab's performance,” said Christophe Beck, Ecolab’s chairman, president and CEO. “Exceptional execution drove accelerating sales growth, margin expansion and double-digit adjusted operating income growth.”

Reported net income decreased six percent, but excluding the impact of special gains and charges and discrete tax items, adjusted net income increased 4 percent over the prior year, including an approximate 10 percent headwind from CoolIT acquisition-related amortization and financing costs.

Volume growth accelerated to two percent despite ongoing disruptions in the Middle East. As expected, pricing strengthened to five percent as the company leveraged total value delivered to mitigate higher commodity costs while improving customer performance.

“This disciplined execution allowed us to stabilize our organic gross margin,” said Beck. “The breadth of our performance makes these results even more encouraging. Growth across our core businesses strengthened, led by accelerating growth in Food & Beverage and Light Water, alongside consistent growth in Institutional & Specialty despite softer market trends.

“We are entering 2027 with momentum and confidence in our ability to deliver another very strong year. We expect organic sales to grow at the upper end of our 5 to 7 percent target and Ecolab's adjusted operating income margin to reach 20 percent,” said Beck.

The reported income tax rate for the third quarter of 2026 was 20.2 percent, compared with the reported rate of 17.8 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Excluding special gains and charges and discrete tax items, the adjusted tax rate for the third quarter of 2026 was 20.4 percent compared with the adjusted tax rate of 20.0 percent in the third quarter of 2025.

Ecolab expects full year 2026 adjusted diluted earnings per share to be in the $8.10 to $8.20 range, rising 8 to 9 percent versus last year. This range reflects strong underlying performance and an approximate 6 percentage point short-term headwind to adjusted earnings per share growth from CoolIT acquisition-related amortization and financing costs.

Ecolab delivers $16 billion in annual sales, employs 48,000 associates and serves customers in more than 170 countries and 40 industries.

The company has assets of $31 billion, and liabilities of $24 billion.