Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Raised to $306.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective boosted by Robert W. Baird from $300.00 to $306.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $291.64.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.5%

Ecolab stock opened at $273.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $77.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $272.56 and a 200-day moving average of $261.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Ecolab has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 42,899 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $10,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,651 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 32.4% in the first quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 14,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after buying an additional 3,428 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 15.6% during the first quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,414,000 after buying an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA now owns 5,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,291,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 120,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,467,000 after acquiring an additional 19,431 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by 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.