Ecolab Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.73 (NYSE:ECL)

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of 0.73 per share by the basic materials company on Thursday, October 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th.

Ecolab has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 33 consecutive years. Ecolab has a payout ratio of 34.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Ecolab to earn $9.39 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 31.1%.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.8%

ECL stock opened at $283.29 on Friday. Ecolab has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $271.60 and a 200-day moving average of $273.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.73 billion, a PE ratio of 38.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

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.