Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Robert W. Baird Analyst Says

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price raised by Robert W. Baird from $271.00 to $279.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $235.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $251.00 to $272.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $288.00 to $276.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $277.20.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $244.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $252.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $241.94. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $167.30 and a 1 year high of $262.61. The stock has a market cap of $69.59 billion, a PE ratio of 34.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.05% and a return on equity of 22.12%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab will post 6.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $98,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,010,250. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Ecolab news, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total transaction of $950,196.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,014,586.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $98,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at $6,010,250. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.