Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Lowered to $285.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $310.00 to $285.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 4.56% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.24.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $272.57 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $287.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $76.86 billion, a PE ratio of 37.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew 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 valued at $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 64,964 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,504,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,631 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,325,000 after buying an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.