Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Lifted to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Posted by on Jul 14th, 2023

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

ECL has been the topic of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ecolab from $167.00 to $188.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Northcoast Research cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Ecolab from $164.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Ecolab from $164.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Ecolab from $163.00 to $177.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $178.93.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $186.33 on Friday. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $131.04 and a 52-week high of $187.73. The stock has a market cap of $53.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.02. The business’s 50 day moving average is $177.11 and its 200 day moving average is $164.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.47 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 7.96%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 34,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.48, for a total transaction of $5,976,386.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,201,899.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Ecolab news, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 21,708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.67, for a total transaction of $3,943,692.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,260,338.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 34,450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.48, for a total value of $5,976,386.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,043 shares in the company, valued at $9,201,899.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 67,050 shares of company stock worth $11,865,590 in the last 90 days. 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 the business. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $258,000. Perpetual Ltd lifted its stake in Ecolab by 65.1% in the 2nd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 147,595 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,555,000 after purchasing an additional 58,217 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $536,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,511 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 54.9% in the second quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 73.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ecolab

(Get Free Report)

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Global Industrial, Global Institutional & Specialty, and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences segments. 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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL)

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