Robert W. Baird Lowers Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target to $296.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price decreased by Robert W. Baird from $320.00 to $296.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.05% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.1%

Ecolab stock traded up $5.41 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $266.54. The company had a trading volume of 788,141 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,399,423. The stock has a market cap of $75.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.95.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s 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, analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,810,000 after buying an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Ecolab by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $417,747,000 after buying an additional 813,996 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.