JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Price Target to $305.00

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) had its target price hoisted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $295.00 to $305.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 7.59% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on ECL. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.61.

Ecolab Trading Up 4.5%

NYSE:ECL opened at $283.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $79.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.36, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The business has a fifty day moving average of $267.82 and a 200-day moving average of $273.30.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its position in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Ecolab by 58.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $596,902,000 after purchasing an additional 830,726 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.09, above the $2.08 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.42 billion, also exceeding expectations. Adjusted EPS increased 11% from the prior-year period. Ecolab Q2 results and outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.05-$8.25, representing expected growth of 7%-10%. Management cited better pricing, volume growth, productivity gains and accelerating organic sales, including particularly strong performance in High-Tech and Life Sciences. Ecolab beats Q2 estimates and raises outlook
• Positive Sentiment: William Blair analyst Tim Mulrooney reiterated a Buy rating after the earnings beat, citing the raised outlook and improving margins. This reinforces a constructive analyst view of ECL’s earnings trajectory. William Blair Buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: Ecolab’s third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.13-$2.23 is below the $2.27 analyst consensus, suggesting near-term earnings expectations may be too high despite the full-year outlook increase.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate to $9.35 from $9.40. The cut is modest, but it signals slightly reduced longer-term earnings expectations. Ecolab analyst estimate update

About Ecolab

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.