Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup trimmed its price target on Ecolab from $345 to $330 but kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 20.44% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Market consensus price target is roughly $321.44 with most analysts rating Ecolab a Buy, while the stock trades around $274 (market cap ~$77.4B, P/E ~37.7).
• CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at about $307 (an 18.05% reduction in his holding); insiders now own approximately 0.50% of the company.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at Citigroup from $345.00 to $330.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Citigroup's target price points to a potential upside of 20.44% from the stock's previous close.

ECL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $321.44.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock traded up $0.71 on Monday, reaching $274.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 684,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,398,484. Ecolab has a 52 week low of $229.39 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $77.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $282.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. As a group, analysts predict that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 944,864 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $248,131,000 after buying an additional 7,623 shares during the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Ecolab by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 127,456 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,469,000 after buying an additional 15,955 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its position in Ecolab by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 13,363 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,508,000 after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

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.

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