Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Raised to $295.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised Ecolab’s price target from $275 to $295 while maintaining an “equal weight” rating, implying approximately 6.1% upside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $327.56, despite one recent downgrade to “strong sell.”
• Ecolab shares fell 2.0% to $278.11, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $2.09 and revenue of $4.42 billion, both slightly above analyst expectations; revenue increased 9.7% year over year.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $275.00 to $295.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 6.07% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on ECL. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL traded down $5.59 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $278.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 93,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,488,530. Ecolab has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $268.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $78.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,810,000 after acquiring an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Ecolab by 58.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $596,902,000 after acquiring an additional 830,726 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently 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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