Ecolab Inc. vs Lumen Technologies Inc — how do they compare? Ecolab Inc. trades at $280.54 (market cap $79.79B), while Lumen Technologies Inc trades at $6.34 (market cap $6.58B). The key difference: Ecolab Inc. is far larger — about 12.1× Lumen Technologies Inc's market cap, and Ecolab Inc. pays a 1.03% dividend while Lumen Technologies Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ECL | LUMN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $79.79B | $6.58B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Media |
52-Week High | $308.35 | $11.83 |
52-Week Low | $245.73 | $3.95 |
Enterprise Value | $88.57B | $18.20B |
Dividend Yield | 1.03% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ECL trades at $281.17, down 1.14% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong institutional interest. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $2.09, beating estimates, and raised full-year guidance to $8.05-$8.25. Revenue growth remains steady at 5% organic, supported by pricing gains and volume increases. Valuation ratios are elevated with a P/E of 38.21, reflecting premium pricing for consistent performance.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $327.90, implying 16.6% upside. Risks include high valuation sensitivity and rising input costs. The stock offers growth potential from digital expansion and recent CoolIT acquisition, but investors should monitor margin pressures and debt levels.
LUMN trades at $6.33, down 4.67% today, with a bearish technical signal and neutral oscillators. Revenue declined to $12.40B in 2025, with a net loss of $1.74B, though Q2 2026 earnings beat estimates. The company is shifting to digital services, with strategic revenues growing 14.1% in Q2 2026. High debt of $17.49B remains a concern, but positive cash flow from operations of $4.74B in 2025 supports liquidity.
Outlook is mixed: analyst consensus price target is $7.67 with a hold-heavy rating, indicating cautious optimism. Risks include persistent revenue declines and heavy debt load, but opportunities lie in digital transformation and AI-driven growth. CEO share purchases and institutional holdings suggest insider confidence amid challenges.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Ecolab produces and markets cleaning and sanitation products for the hospitality, healthcare, and industrial markets. The firm is the global market share leader in this category with a wide array of products and services, including dish and laundry washing systems, pest control, and infection control products. The company has a strong hold on the U.S. market and is looking to increase its profitability abroad. Additionally, Ecolab serves customers in water, manufacturing, and life sciences end markets, selling customized solutions.
Read more on ECL →With 450,000 route miles of fiber, including over 35,000 route miles of subsea fiber connecting Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Lumen Technologies is one of the United States' largest telecommunications carriers serving global enterprises. Its merger with Level 3 further shifted the company's operations toward businesses (over 70% of revenue) and away from its legacy consumer business. Lumen offers businesses a full menu of communications services, providing colocation and data center services, data transportation, and end-user phone and internet service. On the consumer side, Lumen provides broadband and phone service across 37 states, where it has 4.5 million broadband customers.
Read more on LUMN →