Ecolab Inc. Q1 Profit Increases, beats estimates

(RTTNews) - Ecolab Inc. (ECL) announced a profit for its first quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates.

The company's bottom line totaled $412.1 million, or $1.43 per share. This compares with $233.4 million, or $0.82 per share, in last year's first quarter.

Excluding items, Ecolab Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $387.0 million or $1.34 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.33 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter rose 5.0% to $3.75 billion from $3.57 billion last year.

Ecolab Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q1): $412.1 Mln. vs. $233.4 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q1): $1.43 vs. $0.82 last year. -Revenue (Q1): $3.75 Bln vs. $3.57 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Next quarter EPS guidance: $1.62 to $1.72 Full year EPS guidance: $6.40 - $6.70