Optimism surrounds Ecolab, as it gets ready to report its first quarter results on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. Analysts are expecting the company to book a profit of 81 cents a share, up from 74 cents a year ago.
The consensus estimate remains unchanged over the past month, but it has decreased from three months ago when it was 88 cents. Analysts are expecting earnings of $4.60 per share for the fiscal year. Analysts are projecting that revenue this quarter will remain flat at $3.35 billion. Revenue is projected to be $3.35 billion for the quarter, less than a percent above the year-earlier total of $3.34 billion. For the year, revenue is projected to roll in at $14.32 billion.
Revenue rose in the past two quarters. In the most recent quarter, revenue rose 10% year-over-year to $3.68 billion. The quarter before that, it rose 6%.
The company has been reaping profit in the past eight quarters, and for the last four, it has seen an average of 40% growth in profit year-over-year. The company saw the biggest boost in the most recent quarter, in which it saw a 76% growth.
The majority of analysts (75%) rate Ecolab as a buy. This compares favorably to the analyst ratings of five similar companies, which average 18% buys.
Ecolab develops and markets cleaning and sanitizing products and programs, pest elimination, maintenance, and repair services for the hospitality, foodservice, healthcare and industrial markets. Clorox, also in the personal and household prods. industry, will report earnings on Friday, May 1, 2015. Analysts are expecting earnings of $1.10 per share for Clorox, down 7% from last year's earnings of $1.18 per share. Ocean Bio-Chem, another company in the personal and household prods. industry is also expected to report soon, on Friday, May 15, 2015.
Earnings estimates provided by Zacks.
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