Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $327.5556.

ECL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $281.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $276.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ecolab will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.