Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Receives $297.33 Average PT from Analysts

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $297.3333.

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI raised Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $282.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $79.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.52, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $269.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.98. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,479,529 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,019,000 after buying an additional 22,986 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,013,557,000 after buying an additional 202,449 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $847,544,000. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% in the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,610,791 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $703,452,000 after acquiring an additional 90,005 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.