Ecolab’s (ECL) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Royal Bank Of Canada

Posted by George Bondi on May 19th, 2026

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $337.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target suggests a potential upside of 37.20% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.06.

View Our Latest Research Report on ECL

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock traded down $3.58 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $245.63. 98,315 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,420,681. 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 one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $69.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $265.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ecolab will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.