Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $322.2353.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, 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 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. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 944,864 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $248,131,000 after acquiring an additional 7,623 shares during the period. Stance Capital LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Ecolab by 14.3% during the fourth 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 during the period. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its position in Ecolab by 10.0% in 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 during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $256.55 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $72.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $286.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.04. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic growth play into AI infrastructure — the acquisition gives Ecolab immediate exposure to liquid cooling for high-density AI data centers, a fast-growing market that could materially diversify and accelerate Ecolab’s long-term growth profile. Ecolab Buys a Liquid Cooling Company for $4.75 Billion. It’s All About AI.
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal confirmation and terms — multiple outlets report the finalized $4.75B all-cash purchase from KKR and the company’s intent to scale CoolIT’s tech globally; this confirms prior reports that Ecolab was pursuing a large data-center cooling acquisition. Ecolab to acquire CoolIT Systems for $4.75 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and near-term pressure — shares slipped after the announcement as investors appeared concerned about the sizable cash payment, potential strain on capital allocation and integration execution risk. Ecolab Unleashes $4.75 Billion CoolIT Buy For AI Cooling
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst / forecasting headwinds — at least one firm has issued a cautious outlook on Ecolab following the deal, citing valuation and earnings-per-share risk from the transaction and execution uncertainty. Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price

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.