Ecolab's (ECL) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Royal Bank Of Canada

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its “outperform” rating on Ecolab and maintained a $337 price target, implying about 18.8% upside from the prior close.
• Other analysts remain generally positive on Ecolab, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $323.71.
• Ecolab recently reported Q1 earnings of $1.70 per share, matching estimates, while revenue rose 10% year over year to $4.07 billion; the company also issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.43 to $8.63.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reissued by Royal Bank Of Canada in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $337.00 price target on the basic materials company's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 18.79% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.71.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $283.69 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $79.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.39, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $262.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $272.33. Ecolab has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted 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 boosted 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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