Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) PT Raised to $260.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $234.00 to $260.00 in a research note issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “market perform” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective points to a potential upside of 2.62% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ecolab from $225.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $251.00 to $272.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $233.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Six 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.29.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $253.37 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $245.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.51. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $156.72 and a 1-year high of $256.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 21.65%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.24 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab will post 6.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 650 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $240.41 per share, for a total transaction of $156,266.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,967 shares in the company, valued at $4,319,446.47. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $98,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,010,250. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $240.41 per share, with a total value of $156,266.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 17,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,319,446.47. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.