Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Cut to $296.00 by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective lowered by Robert W. Baird from $320.00 to $296.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.3%

ECL opened at $264.46 on Tuesday. Ecolab has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $286.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.88. The company has a market cap of $74.69 billion, a PE ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Ecolab News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Ecolab from Neutral to Overweight, citing stronger pricing power and a shift toward higher‑growth businesses; they set a $295 price target. J.P. Morgan Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital reiterated its Buy rating on Ecolab, reinforcing analyst support after the company’s strategic moves. BMO Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America kept a Buy and a bullish $337 target, highlighting that the CoolIT acquisition expands Ecolab’s high‑tech growth platform and recurring‑revenue potential. BofA on CoolIT
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab announced the ~$4.75B CoolIT Systems acquisition to beef up liquid cooling for data centers/AI — viewed as strategic entry into a high‑growth, recurring‑revenue market. Analysts say this supports medium‑term growth and margin upside. CoolIT Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab management told investors that data‑center cooling demand should outlast the AI “hype” cycle, supporting durable end‑market demand for CoolIT products. Data‑Center Demand Comment
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird lowered its price target from $320 to $296 but kept an Outperform rating — still above the current share price, so it’s a mixed signal (lowered upside but maintained conviction). Baird PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: M&A call materials and transcripts (slides and transcript) were posted, providing execution details on CoolIT integration and financial assumptions — useful for investors digging into deal economics. M&A Call Transcript M&A Slideshow

Ecolab Company Profile

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.