Seaport Res Ptn Upgrades Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) to "Strong-Buy"

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ecolab's Q1 2025 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.95 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.07 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.06 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.59 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.58 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Ecolab from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $263.00 to $280.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $277.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $240.00 target price (down previously from $265.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Ecolab to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $282.33.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded down $1.59 during trading on Monday, reaching $238.08. 899,317 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,150,408. The business's fifty day moving average is $251.01 and its 200-day moving average is $248.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.14. Ecolab has a 52-week low of $218.19 and a 52-week high of $273.69.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Larry L. Berger sold 10,858 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.95, for a total transaction of $2,898,543.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,202,860.80. The trade was a 40.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $264.51 per share, with a total value of $105,804.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 18,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,964,059.17. The trade was a 2.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,637,985 over the last ninety days. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 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.