Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Ecolab is receiving a broadly positive Wall Street view, with 17 buy ratings, 1 strong buy, and an overall average recommendation of “Moderate Buy.” The average 12-month analyst price target is about $322.53.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $1.70 per share, matching expectations, while revenue of $4.07 billion slightly topped estimates and rose 10% year over year. Ecolab also reaffirmed its FY 2026 guidance and expects continued earnings growth.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, implying an annualized yield of about 1.1%. Insider activity was mixed, with one director buying shares and another selling, while institutional ownership remains high at 74.91%.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $322.5294.

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 58.8% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $596,902,000 after purchasing an additional 830,726 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.1%

ECL stock opened at $255.89 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $72.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $261.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.34.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

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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