Analysts Set Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) PT at $322.24

Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $323.5625.

Several research analysts have commented on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 944,864 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $248,131,000 after acquiring an additional 7,623 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Ecolab by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 127,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,469,000 after purchasing an additional 15,955 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in Ecolab by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 13,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $260.82 on Friday. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $285.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.68. The company has a market cap of $73.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

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