Q2 2024 EPS Estimates for Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Increased by Seaport Res Ptn

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn lifted their Q2 2024 earnings estimates for Ecolab in a research report issued on Monday, May 6th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $1.64 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.59. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $6.58 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ecolab’s Q4 2024 earnings at $1.80 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $6.53 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.59 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $2.05 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $7.50 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $232.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Barclays upgraded Ecolab from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $260.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Ecolab from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, 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 on the stock. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of ECL stock opened at $233.01 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $225.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.50. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $156.72 and a 1-year high of $233.30. The company has a market cap of $66.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.15, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.88 EPS.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 18th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $227.37 per share, with a total value of $147,790.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 17,111 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,528.07. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ECL. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 150.0% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Motco acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 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.