Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives $323.71 Average PT from Analysts

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $323.7059.

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $278.48 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.04. Ecolab has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released 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 business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab will post 8.46 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is 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.