Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.1%

ECL opened at $267.23 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $265.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.15.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors 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.