Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Ecolab has an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from 20 analysts (14 buys, 5 holds, 1 strong buy) with a 12‑month average price target of about $321.44 and several firms recently raising targets into the mid‑$300s.
• Earnings & guidance: Ecolab beat quarterly EPS ($2.08 vs. $2.07) with revenue up 4.8% year‑over‑year, and set FY2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS and Q1 2026 guidance of $1.67–$1.73 EPS.
• Dividends & insider activity: The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (annualized $2.92, ~1.1% yield), while insiders — including CEO Christophe Beck — recently sold shares; institutional investors own about 74.9% of the stock.

Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $321.4375.

ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $273.13 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $282.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.76. Ecolab has a 52 week low of $229.39 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $77.14 billion, a PE ratio of 37.52, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,069,468,000 after buying an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,599,000 after buying an additional 46,569 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Company Profile

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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