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

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have issued a buy recommendation and three have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $294.5714.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. AIA Group Ltd grew its holdings in Ecolab by 416.2% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 5,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 4,507 shares during the last quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 7.9% during the third quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd now owns 20,619 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,643,000 after purchasing an additional 1,501 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 640.6% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 33,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,182,000 after purchasing an additional 29,001 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Ecolab by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,645 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its position in Ecolab by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 50,756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,900,000 after purchasing an additional 4,159 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $262.67 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $263.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $268.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $74.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.07. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

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.