Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Rating Lowered by UBS Group

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) was downgraded by UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. They currently have a $276.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.85% from the company’s previous close.

ECL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ecolab from $240.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $228.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $235.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ecolab from $271.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.20.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $244.57 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $252.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.10. The firm has a market cap of $69.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.13. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $167.30 and a 1-year high of $262.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.12% and a net margin of 13.05%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total value of $950,196.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,014,586.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Victoria Reich sold 393 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $98,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 24,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,010,250. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Gregory B. Cook sold 3,811 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.33, for a total transaction of $950,196.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,080 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,014,586.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. XML Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 2,258 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 38,191 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,751,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp lifted its stake in Ecolab by 5.3% during the third quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 997 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $709,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 14.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 7,182 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,834,000 after buying an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. 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.