Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $294.5714.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Evercore ISI raised Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AIA Group Ltd grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 416.2% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 5,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,531,000 after purchasing an additional 4,507 shares in the last quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd boosted its stake in Ecolab by 7.9% during the third quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd now owns 20,619 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,643,000 after buying an additional 1,501 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Ecolab by 640.6% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 33,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,182,000 after buying an additional 29,001 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Ecolab by 39.6% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,645 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 50,756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,900,000 after acquiring an additional 4,159 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $262.67 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $74.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $263.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $268.78.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.95%.

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.