Citigroup Boosts Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target to $324.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price increased by Citigroup from $315.00 to $324.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 15.18% from the company’s previous close.

ECL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.00.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $281.31 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $266.81 and a 200 day moving average of $269.34. The firm has a market cap of $79.68 billion, a PE ratio of 40.42, a PEG ratio of 2.42 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 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% in the second quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd increased its position in Ecolab by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.