Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Ecolab has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 21 brokerages, with 17 buy ratings, 1 strong buy, and 3 holds. The average 12-month price target is about $323.71.
• The company’s latest quarter matched EPS expectations at $1.70 and slightly beat revenue estimates at $4.07 billion, with revenue up 10% year over year. Ecolab also reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS.
• Ecolab recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, for an annualized yield of about 1.0%. Insider activity was mixed, with a director selling shares while an executive vice president bought 1,000 shares.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $323.7059.

Several analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

ECL opened at $283.71 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $261.68 and a 200 day moving average of $271.59. The company has a market cap of $79.85 billion, a PE ratio of 38.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in Ecolab by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $13,240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,394,000 after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.