Citigroup Lowers Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target to $325.00

Key Points

• Citigroup cut its price target on Ecolab to $325 from $330 but kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 24.6% upside
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year-over-year, and reiterated FY2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS with Q2 guidance of $2.02–$2.12.
• Insiders sold stock in late February (CEO sold 20,000 shares; a director sold 1,265), leaving insiders with about 0.50% ownership, while institutional ownership is high at 74.91% after large purchases by firms including JPMorgan, Capital World Investors and Norges Bank.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by research analysts at Citigroup from $330.00 to $325.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Citigroup's price objective points to a potential upside of 24.64% from the company's previous close.

ECL has been the topic of several other research reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note 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 note on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock traded up $4.14 on Thursday, hitting $260.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,349,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,402,621. The firm has a market cap of $73.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $276.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.34. Ecolab has a one year low of $248.58 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 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 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $417,747,000 after purchasing an additional 813,996 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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