Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Receives Buy (B) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Ecolab's stock has been reaffirmed with a "buy" rating by Weiss Ratings, reflecting confidence in its growth potential.
• Multiple analysts have recently increased their target prices for Ecolab, with a consensus target price now standing at $292.29.
• The company's most recent quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $1.89, slightly missing estimates, but revenue matched expectations at $4.03 billion.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b)" rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

ECL has been the topic of several other reports. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.29.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of ECL traded up $2.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $281.35. 919,273 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,453,098. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The business has a 50-day moving average of $273.62 and a 200-day moving average of $262.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.09.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% during the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake in Ecolab by 202.6% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.

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