Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

by · The Markets Daily

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $323.7059.

Several analysts have commented on ECL shares. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on ECL

Ecolab Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $283.17 on Monday. Ecolab has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $262.51 and a 200-day moving average of $272.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $79.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after buying an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 7.7% during the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,240,000 after acquiring an additional 3,464 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,394,000 after acquiring an additional 12,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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