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Ecolab (ECL) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Ecolab logo
$274.88 -1.84 (-0.66%)
Closing price 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$274.06 -0.82 (-0.30%)
As of 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Ecolab - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
3
Buy
18

Based on 21 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Ecolab in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 21 analysts, 3 have given a hold rating, 17 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for ECL.

Consensus Price Target

$327.56
19.16% Upside
According to the 21 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Ecolab, the average price target is $327.56. The highest price target for ECL is $360.00, while the lowest price target for ECL is $295.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 19.16% from the current price of $274.88.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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ECL Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/24/25 to 9/24/26
1 Month Ago
8/25/25 to 8/25/26
3 Months Ago
6/26/25 to 6/26/26
1 Year Ago
9/24/24 to 9/24/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
17 Buy rating(s)
17 Buy rating(s)
17 Buy rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
Hold
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
Sell
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$327.56$327.56$323.71$292.00
Forecasted Upside19.16% Upside12.94% Upside14.10% Upside9.36% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

ECL Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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ECL Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Ecolab Stock vs. The Competition

TypeEcolabMaterials CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.90
2.57
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy
Predicted Upside19.43% Upside139.93% Upside19.71% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent ECL News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/7/2026
Zacks Research logo
Zacks Research
4 of 5 stars
 UpgradeStrong Sell ➝ Hold
8/31/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 UpgradeBuy (B-) ➝ Buy (B)
7/30/2026
Jason Haas
Jason Haas
1 of 5 stars
Boost TargetEqual Weight$275.00 ➝ $295.00+6.13%
7/29/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$342.00+20.77%
7/29/2026Boost TargetOutperform$345.00 ➝ $360.00+27.13%
7/29/2026Boost TargetOutperform$325.00 ➝ $327.00+15.47%
7/29/2026Set Target$305.00+7.71%
7/29/2026Boost TargetOverweight$295.00 ➝ $305.00+7.59%
7/17/2026UpgradeMarket Perform ➝ Outperform$320.00+16.12%
7/9/2026Boost TargetBuy$325.00 ➝ $335.00+23.28%
7/7/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$337.00+18.79%
6/24/2026Boost TargetBuy$325.00 ➝ $330.00+22.75%
5/20/2026Lower TargetBuy$352.00 ➝ $345.00+38.27%
4/21/2026Boost TargetBuy$337.00 ➝ $345.00+25.04%
3/16/2026 UpgradeHold ➝ Buy$326.00+18.93%
2/18/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$312.00+2.73%
2/12/2026Reiterated RatingOutperform$330.00 ➝ $345.00+13.79%
2/11/2026 Reiterated RatingOverweight$330.00+10.06%
2/11/2026Boost TargetBuy$300.00 ➝ $337.00+12.34%
1/23/2026 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold
10/29/2025Boost TargetOverweight$275.00 ➝ $300.00+11.77%
8/26/2025Initiated CoverageMarket Perform
3/24/2025DowngradeBuy ➝ Neutral$270.00+7.66%
2/24/2025Boost TargetOverweight$270.00 ➝ $310.00+16.93%
2/12/2025UpgradeStrong-Buy

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Thursday at 09:08 PM ET.


Should I Buy Ecolab Stock? ECL Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Ecolab pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Ecolab
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Ecolab Inc.:

  • Ecolab Inc. recently reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst expectations, posting $2.09 in earnings per share against a consensus estimate of $2.08, while revenue of $4.42 billion also surpassed the projected $4.38 billion, demonstrating strong operational performance and top-line growth of 9.7% year-over-year.
  • The company maintains a favorable valuation relative to its growth trajectory, trading at a current stock price of $269.91 with a P/E ratio of 36.23, which is supported by a PEG ratio of 2.63 that suggests the stock is reasonably priced given its earnings growth rate.
  • Analyst sentiment remains positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $327.56, indicating significant upside potential from the current price, as evidenced by recent upgrades from firms like BMO Capital Markets and Deutsche Bank which raised their price targets in July 2026.
  • Investors can benefit from a consistent income stream through the company's quarterly dividend, which offers a yield of 1.08% and a payout ratio of 39.19%, providing a sustainable return on investment without overextending the company's cash flow.
  • Recent institutional activity signals confidence in the stock, with major firms like Bank of America Corp DE and BlackRock Inc. establishing new positions in the second quarter, while the National Pension Service increased its holdings, reflecting broad institutional support for the company's long-term outlook.

Ecolab
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Ecolab Inc. for these reasons:

  • The stock is trading below its 50-day simple moving average of $277.91 and its 200-day simple moving average of $271.08, suggesting that short-term momentum is weak and the price is currently underperforming its recent trend lines.
  • Short interest has increased in recent months, with shares shorted rising to 4,734,079 as of August 31, 2026, representing a 36.13% month-over-month increase, which indicates that a growing number of traders are betting against the stock's future performance.
  • CEO Christophe Beck recently sold 17,862 shares of the company's stock in August 2026, reducing his direct ownership by 19.67%, which may signal a lack of confidence in the current valuation or a desire to diversify personal holdings.
  • The company carries a significant debt load with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, which could limit its financial flexibility and increase interest expenses, potentially impacting future earnings growth if interest rates remain elevated or if revenue growth slows.
  • Despite recent earnings beats, the company's Q3 2026 guidance of $2.130 to $2.230 in EPS is below the consensus estimate of $2.270, suggesting that management expects a deceleration in earnings growth for the upcoming quarter compared to analyst expectations.

ECL Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 21 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Ecolab is $327.56, with a high forecast of $360.00 and a low forecast of $295.00.

21 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Ecolab in the last year. There are currently 3 hold ratings, 17 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" ECL shares.

According to analysts, Ecolab's stock has a predicted upside of 19.16% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Ecolab's stock had 3 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Analysts like Ecolab more than other "materials" companies. The consensus rating score for Ecolab is 2.90 while the average consensus rating score for "materials" companies is 2.57. Learn more on how ECL compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Ecolab analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/7/2026.
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