Q3 2024 Earnings Forecast for Ecolab Inc. Issued By Seaport Res Ptn (NYSE:ECL)

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) – Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn boosted their Q3 2024 earnings per share estimates for Ecolab in a research report issued on Monday, May 6th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will earn $1.75 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.73. The consensus estimate for Ecolab’s current full-year earnings is $6.58 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ecolab’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.87 EPS and Q3 2025 earnings at $2.00 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ecolab from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $238.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $211.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $220.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.88.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $233.34 on Thursday. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $156.72 and a 1-year high of $234.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $225.01 and a 200-day moving average of $204.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $66.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.21, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 10.01% and a return on equity of 20.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 650 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 17,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,890,528.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Arthur J. Higgins sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.52, for a total transaction of $1,023,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,812,680.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $227.37 per share, for a total transaction of $147,790.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,890,528.07. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 101,681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,834,000 after purchasing an additional 39,155 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 20.6% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 6,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 19,620 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,324,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Salley & Associates grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Smith Salley & Associates now owns 4,857 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $823,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.