Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective boosted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $275.00 to $295.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.18% from the stock’s current price.

ECL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $277.83 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $78.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.