Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price upped by Barclays from $260.00 to $300.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

ECL has been the topic of several other research reports. Citigroup upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $267.00 to $265.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $251.00 to $272.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $306.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.87.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $245.97 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $252.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $244.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $182.39 and a 1 year high of $262.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.05% and a return on equity of 22.12%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Ecolab will post 6.65 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,010,250. The trade was a 1.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total transaction of $950,196.63. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,014,586.40. This represents a 32.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 578,355 shares of company stock valued at $142,728,965. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. PSI Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $31,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.