Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on ECL. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Mizuho increased their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $278.45 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $272.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Benjamin Clark acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,290 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $359,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 410,098 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $114,257,000 after acquiring an additional 65,005 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,824,000. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 70,531 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,651,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 3.4% in the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,788 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, infection prevention and technology solutions to businesses and institutions worldwide. Its customers include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers and other organizations that rely on safe, efficient and sustainable operating environments.

The company’s offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment and process-management systems, food-safety programs, infection-prevention solutions and pest-elimination services.