Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) PT Raised to $279.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective increased by Robert W. Baird from $271.00 to $279.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective points to a potential upside of 9.95% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $225.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $233.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.60.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $253.76 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $252.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $241.50. The firm has a market cap of $72.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.58, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.13. Ecolab has a 12-month low of $157.59 and a 12-month high of $262.61.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 21.65%. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab will post 6.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $240.41 per share, for a total transaction of $156,266.50. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,319,446.47. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ecolab news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,010,250. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 650 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $240.41 per share, for a total transaction of $156,266.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 17,967 shares in the company, valued at $4,319,446.47. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.