Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target Raised to $310.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $275.00 to $310.00 in a research note released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.06.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

ECL opened at $298.90 on Wednesday. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $306.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.66 billion, a PE ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $274.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.55.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,224 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Ecolab by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,802 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Ecolab by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 146,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $38,491,000 after buying an additional 5,167 shares in the last quarter. AlTi Global Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 90.8% in the fourth quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 1,650 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 785 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 29.1% in the fourth quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 102,562 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,925,000 after buying an additional 23,094 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: Ecolab posted a slight EPS beat and provided FY‑2026 guidance (8.43–8.63 EPS), which supports forward earnings visibility. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: BNP Paribas Exane moved ECL to a “strong‑buy” (and earlier reaffirmed an outperform with a higher price target), adding buy‑side momentum around the name. Zacks – BNP Paribas upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Additional broker support: Evercore ISI issued a buy rating, and other analysts have raised targets (analyst commentary suggests fair values in the low‑to‑mid $300s), reinforcing upside narratives. Evercore ISI buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair‑value discussion: Coverage noted an average analyst view around US$317 post‑results, which frames where market participants expect ECL to trade over the medium term. Yahoo Finance – $317 analyst view
• Neutral Sentiment: Style/quant coverage: Zacks highlighted Ecolab as a top‑ranked growth/style pick, which may attract style‑focused funds but has limited immediate price impact. Zacks – Top‑ranked growth stock
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns on organic growth: Some analysts/commentary argue Ecolab’s organic growth wasn’t strong enough to fully justify upgrades, raising questions about the sustainability of the recent run. Seeking Alpha – organic growth critique

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.