ECL NYSE Week ended 31 Jul 2026

Weekly Investor Report

Ecolab Inc · Basic Materials · Specialty Chemicals

Open interactive chart View report data
Latest close 277.6 USD
3.3% latest week
Weekly setup

Weak trend

The weekly trend is not active. Price is 1.9% above the Trend Line and sits at 53.9% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned 3.3%, after a -2.0% four-week move. The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth is moderate; valuation is expensive relative to peers. Options positioning is bearish with 43/100 conviction, while the latest news-sentiment score is 59/100. Near-term considerations: earnings are due in 3d.

Setup score 47 out of 100
Latest Close 277.6 USD 31 Jul 2026
1W Return 3.3% latest completed week
4W Return -2.0% short-term follow-through
12W Return 9.5% quarterly tape
Trend Breadth 38.5% 20 of 52 weeks active
Volume Ratio 1.0x vs 13-week average
What is working
  • Price is above the Trend Line, keeping the weekly tape constructive.
  • Price is above Fair Value, showing premium demand versus the model.
  • Activity pressure is positive on the latest completed week.
  • Next-week expectancy is positive at 61.15% based on similar historical setup states.
What could go wrong
  • The trend backdrop is inactive, so price action has not confirmed a constructive regime.
  • Activity pressure is weak, so confirmation is not yet broad enough.
What to watch next
  • Trend Line remains the key weekly regime level.
  • Activity pressure is the gauge to monitor for confirmation or fade.
  • A volume ratio above 1.5x would show stronger participation in the next move.
Price follow-through 3.3% Latest completed week; four-week move -2.0%. Indicator stack 21/50 Trend and activity pressure are weighted against the latest 12-week confirmation window. Trend backdrop Active The trend backdrop defines the current weekly regime. Patient Capital Quiet Activity-pressure buy-signal status for institutional accumulation timing. Next-Week Expectancy Positive 61.15% Historical one-week expectancy contributes to the evidence score when direction is confirmed. Options pressure Bearish 43/100 conviction; expected move 4.9%. News sentiment 59/100 50 relevant articles in the latest sentiment read. Event risk 3d Next report is scheduled for 04 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
01 · Price action

Where price is—and whether the trend supports it

The weekly trend is not active. Price is 1.9% above the Trend Line and sits at 53.9% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned 3.3%, after a -2.0% four-week move.

Study the full chart

52-week price path

Price vs Trend Line and Fair Value
Price Trend Line Fair Value
02 · Volume and demand

Is real participation confirming the move?

Latest weekly volume is 1.0x the 13-week average. Participation is around or above normal and provides reasonable confirmation.

26-week volume confirmation

Bar height shows volume; colour shows the weekly price direction
6 Feb 13 Feb 20 Feb 27 Feb 6 Mar 13 Mar 20 Mar 27 Mar 3 Apr 10 Apr 17 Apr 24 Apr 1 May 8 May 15 May 22 May 29 May 5 Jun 12 Jun 19 Jun 26 Jun 3 Jul 10 Jul 17 Jul 24 Jul 31 Jul
Up week Down week
Demand beneath price

Activity pressure and institutional-style signals

These indicators assess whether participation is improving beneath the headline price move. They are supporting evidence, not proof of institutional buying.

Activity pressure path

Latest 0.3612-week average 0.21

12-week confirmation

Trend active0/12Active trend-backdrop weeks in the latest 12-week window.
Positive pressure6/12Weeks with constructive activity pressure in the latest 12-week window.
Positive leadership0/12Weeks with positive relative leadership in the latest 12-week window.
Activity pressure0.36Current proprietary activity-pressure read.
Buy signals0Accumulation signal count in the latest 12 weeks.
Reversal markers0No reversal markers

No recent accumulation markers. No reversal markers.

03 · Momentum and leadership

Is performance persistent—and is the stock leading?

Performance is -2.0% over four weeks, 9.5% over 12 weeks, and 7.5% over one year. The current trend has remained active for 0 consecutive weeks.

Performance by holding period

1W3.3%
4W-2.0%
12W9.5%
26W-1.0%
52W7.5%
Active trend streak0 weeks
Active weeks in one year20
Trend breadth38.5%

Activity pressure vs relative leadership

Activity pressureRelative leadership
Pressure0.24Latest activity-pressure read.
Pressure change-56.6%Four-week change in activity pressure.
Leadership-5.73Latest relative-leadership reading.
RS change-24.6%Four-week change in relative leadership.
04 · Fundamentals and valuation

What investors are paying for—and the quality behind it

The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks strongly versus its universe; growth is moderate; valuation is expensive relative to peers.

Open full factor analysis
Factor week 26 Jul 2026 Financial statements through 31 Mar 2026 Field coverage 97% Model confidence 93%

Relative factor standing

Higher display scores are better. Each score is converted from the underlying universe rank, where rank 1 is best.

Overall factor strength16/100Blend of value, momentum, and quality. Underlying universe rank 85; rank 1 is best.
Value8/100Relative valuation strength. Underlying universe rank 93; rank 1 is best.
Quality87/100Profitability and accounting quality. Underlying universe rank 14; rank 1 is best.
Momentum29/100Medium-term price momentum. Underlying universe rank 72; rank 1 is best.
Growth26/100Revenue and earnings growth. Underlying universe rank 75; rank 1 is best.
How to read this

Quality and valuation are separate questions

A strong company can still carry a demanding valuation. This report shows profitability, growth, balance-sheet strength, and the price paid for those characteristics separately.

Value-quality framework32/100Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.

Valuation

How much investors are paying for earnings, sales, and cash flow.

P/E
35.9x
Price divided by trailing earnings.
Price / sales
4.6x
Market value relative to trailing revenue.
EV / EBITDA
23.8x
Enterprise value relative to operating cash earnings.
Free-cash-flow yield
5.0%
Free cash flow as a share of enterprise value.

Business quality

Margins and the return generated on invested capital.

Gross margin
44.3%
Gross profit retained from each unit of revenue.
Operating margin
17.3%
Operating profit retained from revenue.
Free-cash-flow margin
25.5%
Free cash flow generated from revenue.
Return on invested capital
12.4%
Operating return generated on invested capital.

Growth and financial strength

Recent business growth and accounting strength.

Revenue growth
4.9%
Latest one-year revenue growth.
EPS growth
0.1%
Latest one-year earnings-per-share growth.
Free-cash-flow growth
17.5%
Latest one-year free-cash-flow growth.
Piotroski F-score
6/9
Nine-point accounting-strength checklist.

Shareholder return and balance sheet

Cash returned to owners and financial leverage.

Dividend yield
1.1%
Cash dividends relative to market value.
Buyback yield
1.0%
Net share repurchases relative to market value.
Shareholder yield
2.1%
Dividend yield plus net buyback yield.
Net debt / EBITDA
2.5x
Balance-sheet debt relative to operating cash earnings.
05 · Ownership, options, and sentiment

What other market participants are doing

Options, insider transactions, market sentiment, and activity-pressure signals can confirm or challenge the price story. None should be used alone.

Options positioningBearish

ECL shows bearish options pressure with a 43/100 conviction score, put-call volume ratio of 1.74, expected move of 4.9%, and Sharemaestro trend signal inactive.

Conviction43/100
Expected move4.9%
Put/call volume1.74
Pressure-20
Speculation43
Volatility38
Trend agreement83
Open options detail
Insider activity18 / 2

18 acquisitions and 2 disposals in the latest 180-day insider tape.

Acquisitions / disposals over the latest 180 days. Insider activity is context, not a stand-alone signal.
News sentiment59/100

Weighted news tone is neutral across 50 relevant articles.

24 positive · 24 neutral · 2 negative
Patient CapitalQuiet

Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.

No recent buy signal
06 · Catalysts and risk

What can move the shares—and how volatile the path has been

Event timing, options-implied movement, drawdown, and weekly return distribution frame the risk around the current setup.

Next earnings3dNext report is scheduled for 04 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
Options expected move4.9%Nearest-chain priced movement where available.
52-week drawdown-9.8%Distance below the 52-week high.
13-week volatility2.4%Standard deviation of weekly returns.

Weekly gains and losses

Latest 26 completed weeks

Each bar is one week. Gains rise above the zero line; losses fall below it. Taller bars mean a larger weekly move.

Weeks higher15 of 2611 weeks finished lower.
Best week+5.4%Week of 26 Jun.
Worst week-8.3%Week of 6 Mar.
Latest week+3.3%Week of 31 Jul.

Shape of recent returns

Strong gains1
Modest gains14
Flat weeks0
Modest losses9
Sharp losses2
Recent vol2.4%13-week weekly-return volatility.
Base vol2.9%52-week weekly-return volatility.
Up/down split32/20Count of positive and negative weeks in the 52-week window.
Average skew2.0% / -2.8%Average positive week versus average negative week.
07 · Sector and peer context

Is this stock leading—or simply moving with its group?

Sector and industry breadth distinguish company-specific strength from a broad group move.

08 · Evidence and weekly data

The underlying research record

Every top-level statement above should be traceable to a stored market, fundamental, event, or positioning observation.

Weekly tape45/100

Trend, activity pressure, participation, and risk combine to a 45/100 tape read.

 Indicator analysis25/100

Latest 12-week confirmation: trend 0/12, activity pressure 6/12, relative leadership 0/12.

Activity pressure 0.36; No reversal markers Next-Week ExpectancyPositive 61.15%

Next-week expectancy is positive with a 61.15% historical one-week setup read.

Adds short-term historical context without overriding trend, activity, or relative leadership. Factors34/100

O'Shaughnessy factor stack blends value, quality, momentum, and confidence.

Buyback Yield rank 30 SVQF32/100

Value and quality alignment from the Sharemaestro SVQF framework.

Composite rank 693.5 of 1013 Patient CapitalQuiet

Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.

No recent buy signal Options52/100

ECL shows bearish options pressure with a 43/100 conviction score, put-call volume ratio of 1.74, expected move of 4.9%, and Sharemaestro trend signal inactive.

Bearish · Put-side pressure · Expected move 4.9% Sentiment59/100

Weighted news tone is neutral across 50 relevant articles.

Ecolab Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors Insiders18 / 2

18 acquisitions and 2 disposals in the latest 180-day insider tape.

 Earnings3d

Next report is scheduled for 04 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
WeekCloseReturnTrend LineFair ValuePressureLeadershipVolumeTrend
31 Jul 2026277.6 USD3.3%272.4 USD240.2 USD0.24-5.737.7MOff
24 Jul 2026268.8 USD-1.5%271.8 USD239.5 USD0.25-7.975.8MOff
17 Jul 2026272.8 USD-0.5%271.7 USD238.9 USD0.55-7.405.1MOff
10 Jul 2026274.3 USD-3.2%271.3 USD238.4 USD0.62-8.615.2MOff
3 Jul 2026283.4 USD-0.1%270.9 USD237.8 USD0.56-4.605.7MOff
26 Jun 2026283.6 USD5.4%270.0 USD237.1 USD0.19-2.719.7MOff
19 Jun 2026269.1 USD1.7%269.7 USD236.4 USD-0.33-10.099.4MOff
12 Jun 2026264.7 USD2.9%269.5 USD235.8 USD-0.61-11.089.6MOff
5 Jun 2026257.3 USD0.8%269.2 USD235.3 USD-0.83-13.438.1MOff
29 May 2026255.3 USD1.1%269.1 USD234.7 USD-0.79-16.628.3MOff
22 May 2026252.6 USD2.3%269.1 USD234.1 USD-0.77-16.749.0MOff
15 May 2026247.0 USD-2.6%269.9 USD233.6 USD-0.80-18.338.5MOff
8 May 2026253.5 USD-2.0%270.8 USD233.1 USD-0.66-16.388.3MOff
1 May 2026258.8 USD-3.7%271.3 USD232.5 USD-0.61-13.057.4MOff
How to use this report

This is a completed-week research summary. It explains the available evidence and its conflicts; it does not predict a guaranteed outcome or replace your own risk assessment. Fundamental figures may refer to an earlier financial reporting period, which is shown above.