Ecolab’s (ECL) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $260.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ecolab from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. They issued an overweight rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Ecolab from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the stock from $233.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $227.00 to $234.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $249.13.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.8 %

Ecolab stock opened at $230.69 on Wednesday. Ecolab has a one year low of $156.72 and a one year high of $249.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $239.60 and a 200 day moving average of $226.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $65.88 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.11.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 21.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab will post 6.58 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total value of $1,023,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 25,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $227.37 per share, for a total transaction of $147,790.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,111 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,528.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total transaction of $1,023,840.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 25,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 158.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 509 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its stake in Ecolab by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 3,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,686 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.