Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, FinViz reports. The firm presently has a $380.00 price objective on the basic materials company's stock, up from their previous price objective of $315.00. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective suggests a potential upside of 24.78% from the company's current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $344.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.00.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.1%

ECL stock opened at $304.55 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $285.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $277.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $318.93. The stock has a market cap of $85.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.85.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.18. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 11.99%. The business's revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.07 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $308.12 per share, for a total transaction of $184,872.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 26,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,080,447. The trade was a 2.34% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Xcelsior Advisor Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 269.8% during the third quarter. Xcelsior Advisor Partners LLC now owns 18,281 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,020,000 after acquiring an additional 13,338 shares in the last quarter. Elgethun Capital Management grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 26.2% in the third quarter. Elgethun Capital Management now owns 914 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 8.0% in the third quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,588 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ingalls & Snyder LLC now owns 8,023 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,203,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,491 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, cleaning and infection-prevention products and services to businesses and institutions. Its solutions help customers manage water use, maintain sanitary environments and support operational efficiency. The company serves a range of industries, including food and beverage, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences and manufacturing. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment programs, pest-elimination services, and related monitoring and consulting support.

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