Stifel Nicolaus Boosts Ecolab (ECL) Price Target to $153.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price raised by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $140.00 to $153.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 10.75% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, December 27th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Ecolab from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $137.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 7th. Jefferies Group upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, October 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $139.00.

Ecolab (ECL) traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $138.15. 1,190,000 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,120,000. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Ecolab has a one year low of $119.09 and a one year high of $140.50. The company has a market capitalization of $39,910.00, a PE ratio of 31.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.05.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 9.67% and a return on equity of 19.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.28 earnings per share. equities analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, SVP Bruno Lavandier sold 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.71, for a total value of $169,637.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,048,359.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $131.77 per share, with a total value of $59,296.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,499.78. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 57,446 shares of company stock valued at $7,886,307 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.49% of the company’s stock.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI grew its stake in Ecolab by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI now owns 47,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,353,000 after buying an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Advisor Partners LLC now owns 3,637 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Meag Munich Ergo Kapitalanlagegesellschaft MBH bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $1,688,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its stake in Ecolab by 35.5% during the fourth quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 21,782 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,923,000 after buying an additional 5,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eqis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $241,000. 76.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: This report was posted by American Banking and Market News and is the property of of American Banking and Market News. If you are reading this report on another site, it was copied illegally and republished in violation of United States & international copyright and trademark law. The original version of this report can be viewed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2018/01/28/stifel-nicolaus-boosts-ecolab-ecl-price-target-to-153-00.html.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene and energy technologies and services. The Company’s cleaning and sanitizing programs and products, pest elimination services and equipment maintenance and repair services support customers in the foodservice, food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, government and education, retail, textile care and commercial facilities management sectors in over 170 countries.

Analyst Recommendations for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL)