Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $309.27 and last traded at $307.5760, with a volume of 87417 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $305.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.6%

The stock has a market cap of $87.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.25, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $279.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $4.20 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%.The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares in the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Ecolab by 20.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,254,000 after acquiring an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 162.4% in the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $163,744,000 after acquiring an additional 9,837 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.