Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Cut to $285.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $310.00 to $285.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.24.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $261.93 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $73.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $287.20 and a 200-day moving average of $274.29. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stance Capital LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,403,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 127,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,469,000 after purchasing an additional 15,955 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in Ecolab by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 13,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Demming Financial Services Corp ADV bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,032,000. 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.