BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets has raised its price target for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) from $307 to $310, indicating a potential upside of 13.32% from the stock's previous close and maintaining its "outperform" rating.
• Despite a slight decline of 0.5% in stock value, Ecolab reported $1.89 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, which fell just short of analyst expectations.
• Three research analysts currently hold a Strong Buy rating for Ecolab, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.00.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by BMO Capital Markets from $307.00 to $310.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the basic materials company's stock. BMO Capital Markets' price target suggests a potential upside of 13.32% from the stock's previous close.

ECL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.00.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE ECL opened at $273.56 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $77.59 billion, a PE ratio of 36.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.07. Ecolab has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $272.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $261.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 42,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,651 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 32.4% in the 1st quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 14,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,551,000 after acquiring an additional 3,428 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA now owns 5,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,291,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 120,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,467,000 after acquiring an additional 19,431 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.