Citigroup Boosts Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target to $267.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $257.00 to $267.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Citigroup's price objective points to a potential upside of 8.48% from the stock's current price.

ECL has been the subject of several other research reports. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $260.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Ecolab from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James raised their target price on Ecolab from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ecolab from $227.00 to $234.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $244.06.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $1.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $246.12. 743,305 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,163,979. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.41. Ecolab has a 12-month low of $156.72 and a 12-month high of $246.49. The firm has a market cap of $70.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $236.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.95.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 20.56% and a net margin of 10.01%. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 6.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $227.37 per share, with a total value of $147,790.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 17,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,890,528.07. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total transaction of $1,023,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 25,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $227.37 per share, with a total value of $147,790.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,111 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,528.07. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 150.0% during the fourth quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Motco bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

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.