Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives $294.57 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $294.9231.

Several research firms have recently commented on ECL. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in Ecolab by 1.3% in the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $805,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management lifted its position in Ecolab by 0.5% during the second quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd grew its stake in Ecolab by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $271.74 on Monday. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.97 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $263.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $268.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

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.