By Rob Curran
Ecolab's first-quarter earnings and revenue fell slightly but the water-products company reiterated its 2025 operating-earnings projection, anticipating that tariff-related surcharges and supply-chain adjustments will keep it on track despite likely raw-material cost increases.
The St. Paul, Minn., provider of water-treatment, hygiene and infection-prevention goods and services posted first-quarter earnings of $402.5 million, or $1.41 a share, down from $412.1 million, or $1.43 a share, a year earlier.
Stripping out certain one-off items, Ecolab logged adjusted earnings of $1.50 a share, meeting the average Wall Street expectation, according to FactSet.
Quarterly revenue fell 2% to $3.7 billion, also in line with the mean analyst estimate, as per FactSet.
For the second quarter, the water-services firm projected adjusted earnings of $1.84 to $1.94 a share.
Ecolab reiterated its prior projection for adjusted earnings in a range between $7.42 and $7.62 a share for 2025.
Chief Executive Christopher Beck said the company is facing "a very unpredictable operating environment with soft end-market demand and rapidly changing international trade policy." Ecolab is adjusting delivery routes due to the evolving U.S. trade policy. The company said a model based on local production and a recent tariff surcharge would also help it navigate the new order.
Previously, Ecolab said it was implementing a 5% surcharge on all products and services in the U.S. to help offset a rise in raw-material costs from tariff plans.
Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 29, 2025 08:23 ET (12:23 GMT)
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