Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Upgraded at Berenberg Bank

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) was upgraded by investment analysts at Berenberg Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $326.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock. Berenberg Bank’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 18.93% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE ECL opened at $274.12 on Monday. 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 has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.65, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $287.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $274.46.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. 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 predict that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available through the SEC website. 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.9% during the fourth 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 lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after buying an additional 46,569 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.