Citigroup Cuts Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target to $330.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price trimmed by Citigroup from $345.00 to $330.00 in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

ECL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.44.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $270.39 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $282.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.74. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $229.39 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.36 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ecolab

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.