Earnings Preview For Ecolab (ECL)

Ecolab ECL is expected to publish its Q1 earnings report on Tuesday, April 26, before the markets open. Analysts are predicting earnings per share to stand at $0.44, slightly up from $0.41 recorded a year ago. Ecolab, until 1986 known as Economics Laboratory, develops and markets products and services for the hospitality, foodservice, healthcare and industrial markets. The Minnesota –based company provides cleaning and sanitizing products and programs, as well as pest elimination, maintenance and repair services primarily to customers in the food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, government and education, retail, textile care, commercial facilities management and vehicle wash sectors. The company operates in three business segments: United States Cleaning & Sanitizing segment, United States Other Services segment and International segment. In December 2010, Campbell Brothers Limited sold its chemical and cleaning solutions business Cleantec to Ecolab Pty, a subsidiary of the company. In March 2011, the company purchased the assets of O.R. Solutions. It is one of Fortune 500 companies. On March 29, a new product from Ecolab, DryExx GS Lubricant, earned the best product design award in the 2011 Social Innovation Awards. The 2011 Social Innovation Awards is an international awards program in the field of sustainability that recognizes companies implementing groundbreaking strategies and programs that drive social and environmental innovation. Investors will be hoping that Tuesday's results will add more momentum to Ecolab's shares. Revenues are expected to be $1.49 billion this quarter and $1.62 billion in the next quarter, an increase of 9%. For the year as a whole, 2011 revenues are predicted to be 6.5% higher than in the previous year.