Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Raised to $324.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Citigroup from $315.00 to $324.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price points to a potential upside of 15.15% from the company’s previous close.

ECL has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays upped their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho set a $315.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

Ecolab Stock Up 3.1%

ECL traded up $8.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $281.36. 677,537 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,123,791. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $266.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $269.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.69 billion, a PE ratio of 40.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at $847,544,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 119.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,036,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $548,671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109,585 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after acquiring an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 195.9% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,699,000 after purchasing an additional 444,053 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 115.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the period. 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.