Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives $324.06 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $324.0556.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.09, ahead of the $2.08 consensus estimate and up 11% year over year. Revenue rose 10% to approximately $4.4 billion, exceeding expectations, while organic sales growth accelerated to 5%. Ecolab Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.05-$8.25, representing expected growth of 7% to 10%. Strong demand in high-tech and life sciences, along with better pricing and productivity, supported the improved outlook. Ecolab Raises 2026 Adjusted EPS Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Operating income increased 7%, and analysts responded favorably: William Blair reiterated a Buy rating, citing the earnings beat, higher guidance and accelerating margin recovery. Analyst Reiterates Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab detailed a strategic restructuring plan, which could improve efficiency over time but may involve execution risks or near-term costs. Ecolab Reports Q2 Earnings and Strategic Restructuring Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.13-$2.23 was below the $2.27 analyst consensus, limiting the upside reaction and signaling that near-term earnings may be more moderate than expected.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after buying an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $1,022,334,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $283.49 on Friday. Ecolab has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $267.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.30. The company has a market capitalization of $79.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.36, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.39 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

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.