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

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $324.0556.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $263.54 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $266.20 and its 200-day moving average is $273.16. Ecolab has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $74.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. 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 analysts expect that Ecolab will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

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.