Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $322.5294.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $247.50 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $266.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $245.25 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 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.