Q3 2024 EPS Estimates for Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Raised by Analyst

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lifted their Q3 2024 earnings estimates for shares of Ecolab in a research note issued on Monday, May 6th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $1.75 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.73. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $6.58 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ecolab’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.87 EPS and Q3 2025 earnings at $2.00 EPS.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 20.56% and a net margin of 10.01%. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Bank of America raised Ecolab from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $185.00 to $216.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Barclays raised Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $233.34 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $225.01 and its 200 day moving average is $204.50. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $156.72 and a 1-year high of $234.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $66.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.21, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Motco purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total transaction of $1,023,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total value of $1,023,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $227.37 per share, with a total value of $147,790.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,890,528.07. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.