Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $327.67

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $327.67.

ECL has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $342.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% 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. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 1.1% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 3,576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Vancity Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vancity Investment Management Ltd now owns 2,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co boosted its position in Ecolab by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. boosted its position in Ecolab by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,218 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Altus USA Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $281.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $78.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $279.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $270.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released 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. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and related services. The company helps businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations through specialized products, technologies, equipment and on-site expertise.

Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing solutions, water treatment and process-management systems, food safety programs, infection prevention products, pest elimination services and solutions for industrial operations. Ecolab serves customers in industries including hospitality, healthcare, food and beverage production, life sciences, manufacturing, energy, retail and institutional services.

The company was founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory and adopted the Ecolab name in 1986.