UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyEcolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $312.00 to $293.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 7.53% from the stock’s current price.
Several other brokerages have also commented on ECL. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.38.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ecolab
Ecolab Trading Down 0.4%
Shares of ECL stock traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $272.49. The company had a trading volume of 923,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,407,724. The company’s fifty day moving average is $283.23 and its 200 day moving average is $273.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Ecolab has a fifty-two week low of $227.77 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.96 billion, a PE ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.02.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $1,022,334,000. 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.