William Blair Issues Pessimistic Outlook for Ecolab Earnings

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) - Research analysts at William Blair lowered their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for Ecolab in a report released on Tuesday, February 11th. William Blair analyst T. Mulrooney now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $1.83 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.86. The consensus estimate for Ecolab's current full-year earnings is $6.64 per share.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on ECL. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $305.00 to $270.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $284.33.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL traded up $1.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $265.92. 1,265,217 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,264,378. The business's 50 day moving average is $243.29 and its 200-day moving average is $246.86. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $213.94 and a 1 year high of $268.00. The company has a market capitalization of $75.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The basic materials company reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.05% and a return on equity of 22.12%.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 17th were paid a $0.65 dividend. This is an increase from Ecolab's previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.47%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Machiel Duijser sold 5,721 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $996,486.96. This trade represents a 60.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 182,263 shares of company stock valued at $44,426,069. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $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.