Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Upgraded at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan upgraded Ecolab from "neutral" to "overweight" and set a $295 price target, implying roughly a 12.7% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $325.50, as several firms have recently raised targets (e.g., Jefferies to $352, BMO to $345).
• Operationally, Ecolab slightly beat EPS expectations in its most recent quarter ($2.08 vs. $2.07) with revenue up 4.8% year-over-year, and it provided FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS (Q1 guidance 1.670–1.730).

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $295.00 price target on the basic materials company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective indicates a potential upside of 12.74% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. 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. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $325.50.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $261.68 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $286.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.95. Ecolab has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $73.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.94, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 164.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $298,000. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,639 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. 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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