Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives $321.44 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $321.4375.

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in Ecolab by 5.0% during the first quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $223,000. Riverbridge Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 13,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,555,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 100.7% during the 1st quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,760 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $275.31 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.82, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $281.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.75. Ecolab has a 52 week low of $229.39 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share 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 given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

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.