Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group cut its price target on Ecolab to $345 from $352, while keeping a buy rating on the stock. The new target still implies about 38% upside from the previous close.
• Ecolab’s latest quarter met earnings expectations, reporting $1.70 EPS on $4.07 billion in revenue, with revenue up 10% year over year. The company also raised its FY 2026 and Q2 2026 guidance.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive despite mixed valuation signals, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $320.65. Recent insider activity included CEO Christophe Beck selling shares and director David Maclennan buying shares.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $352.00 to $345.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 38.18% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on ECL. Bank of America increased their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.65.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock traded up $3.95 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $249.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,133,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,446,291. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $265.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.61. The firm has a market cap of $70.27 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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