Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Given New $310.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $275.00 to $310.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. Evercore upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.50.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $303.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $304.30. The stock has a market cap of $85.87 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $272.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.14.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $880,506,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after buying an additional 527,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 195.9% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,699,000 after buying an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and margin improvement: Ecolab reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $2.08 (beat) with margin expansion and revenue up ~4.8% y/y, giving the quarter a broadly positive read on profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Above‑consensus FY‑2026 guidance: Management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63 and Q1 EPS of $1.67–$1.73, with revenue guidance roughly $17.2–$17.5B — guidance framed as conservative but implies continued margin-driven earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat earnings call / confident 2026 outlook: Management commentary emphasized accelerating growth drivers (water, pest, life‑sciences) and margin leverage heading into 2026. The tone helped underpin investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price‑target raises: Jefferies raised its PT to $352 (buy), RBC to $337 (outperform) and Wells Fargo to $310 — these uplifts and buy/outperform stances support further upside potential. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and comparisons: Industry writeups and a head‑to‑head review vs. Toray outline competitive positioning and long‑term drivers but are not near‑term catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Pre‑market weakness/uneven investor reaction: Some outlets noted the stock dipped in pre‑market trading despite the beat — investors are parsing revenue mix and near‑term volume recovery, producing mixed sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan keeps a neutral rating and a $295 target: Although JPMorgan raised its target from $265 to $295, it remains neutral and the $295 target is below current levels — a signal that not all sell‑side views are unequivocally bullish. Read More.

About Ecolab

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.