Research Alert: CFRA Maintains Buy Opinion On Shares Of Ecolab Inc.
CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We cut our target by $21 to $328, 33.7x our 2027 EPS estimate, in line with ECL's three-year average forward P/E. We trim our EPS estimates by $0.16 to $8.47 for 2026 and by $0.10 to $9.74 for 2027. ECL delivered strong Q1 results with accelerating organic growth and margin expansion, supported by its growth engines (Global High-Tech, Life Sciences, Pest, Digital), which collectively grew 12% and now represent 20%+ of sales. The 2026 guidance (+12%-15% adjusted EPS) is maintained despite rising commodity costs given confidence in its pricing power. The pending CoolIT Systems acquisition will create a $1.5B high-tech platform growing 20%-25%+ annually at high margins, positioning ECL as the leading provider of circular water management and direct-to-chip cooling for AI data centers. ECL remains on track to achieve its 20% operating margin target by 2027 (vs. 16.7% in Q1), supported by strong pricing execution, a portfolio mix shift toward higher-margin businesses, and SG&A leverage from digital/AI initiatives.