Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives $327.56 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, seventeen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $327.5556.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Mizuho upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company 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 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $280.73 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $276.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.67. Ecolab has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

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.