Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Given New $275.00 Price Target at Citigroup

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Citigroup from $305.00 to $275.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Citigroup's price target would indicate a potential upside of 17.03% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Ecolab from $306.00 to $294.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $277.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Ecolab from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $263.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.71.

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Ecolab Price Performance

ECL traded up $2.43 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $234.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,347,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,147,651. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $254.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $249.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $217.05 and a 1-year high of $273.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.81. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Machiel Duijser sold 5,721 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.04, for a total transaction of $1,510,572.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $996,486.96. This trade represents a 60.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 18,767 shares in the company, valued at $4,964,059.17. This represents a 2.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 17,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,637,985 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.