8-KEarnings & ResultsExhibits & Filings

ECOLAB INC. 8-K Report, Financial Results (Oct 27, 2009)

Filed October 27, 2009For Securities:ECL

Summary

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) filed a Form 8-K on October 27, 2009, to report its third-quarter financial results for the period ending September 30, 2009. The filing primarily serves to attach a press release detailing the company's earnings, which is incorporated by reference. This 8-K highlights the company's practice of disclosing non-GAAP pro forma diluted earnings per share, which excludes special gains, charges, and discrete tax items. Ecolab's management believes this non-GAAP measure provides investors with a clearer understanding of the underlying business performance by removing the impact of non-recurring items, thus enabling better comparisons between current and prior periods. Investors should note that while the press release provides these adjusted earnings figures, the 8-K itself is primarily a notification and attachment of this information. The company emphasizes that this disclosure is intended to facilitate comparison and understanding of operational trends, aligning with common investor interest in normalized financial performance. The attached news release, accessible on Ecolab's website and filed as an exhibit, contains the specific financial data for the quarter and comparative periods.

Key Highlights

  • 1Ecolab Inc. announced its third-quarter 2009 earnings on October 27, 2009.
  • 2The company filed a Form 8-K to report its financial results and operations for the period ending September 30, 2009.
  • 3The filing includes a press release (Exhibit 99) which is incorporated by reference.
  • 4Ecolab disclosed non-GAAP pro forma diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2009 and 2008.
  • 5These non-GAAP measures exclude special gains, charges, and discrete tax items.
  • 6Management believes these adjusted figures enhance investor understanding of underlying business performance by removing non-recurring impacts.
  • 7The press release will also be available on Ecolab's website, www.ecolab.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main purpose of this 8-K filing is to report Ecolab Inc.'s financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009, and to attach the related press release as an exhibit.

Ecolab is reporting non-GAAP pro forma diluted earnings per share, which excludes special gains and charges and discrete tax items. They also provide GAAP EPS as per standard reporting, but emphasize the non-GAAP measure for underlying performance comparison.

Ecolab's management believes that providing non-GAAP pro forma diluted EPS helps investors better understand the company's underlying business performance. By excluding non-recurring items, it facilitates more meaningful comparisons of operating results between current and prior periods.

The detailed financial information is primarily contained within the News Release dated October 27, 2009, which is attached as Exhibit (99) to this Form 8-K and incorporated by reference. This news release is also available on Ecolab's website at www.ecolab.com.