In a report released yesterday, Scott Schneeberger from Oppenheimer maintained a Hold rating on Ecolab Inc (ECL). The company’s shares closed yesterday at $156.06, close to its 52-week high of $160.66.
Schneeberger observed:
“Ecolab delivered a solid 3Q18 (+11% y/y adjusted EPS growth consistent with expectations), with acquisition-adjusted fixed-currency revenue accelerating y/y 2Q18 to 3Q18 in each primary segment and potentially again in 4Q18 (except Energy due to a tough y/y comp). Also favorable, Ecolab anticipates accelerating pricing in 4Q18 to counter recent-quarter increased raw material costs. It recently announced most Nalco Champion products/programs (Energy) prices would increase 8%-15% effective 11/15/18. On cost inflation//incremental forex headwinds in 2H18, Ecolab reduced 2018 adjusted EPS guidance. We’re correspondingly reducing our 2018/2019 estimates, but still view double-digit 2018E/2019E adjusted EPS growth as achievable.”
According to TipRanks.com, Schneeberger is a 5-star analyst with an average return of 10.0% and a 63.5% success rate. Schneeberger covers the Services sector, focusing on stocks such as Service Corp International, General Finance, and XPO Logistics.
Currently, the analyst consensus on Ecolab Inc is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $151.29, representing a -3.1% downside. In a report issued on November 5, Deutsche Bank also maintained a Hold rating on the stock with a $162 price target.
.
See today’s analyst top recommended stocks >>
The company has a one-year high of $160.66 and a one-year low of $125.74. Currently, Ecolab Inc has an average volume of 1.07M.
Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 138 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. Earlier this month, Douglas M. Baker, the Chairman & CEO of ECL sold 40,025 shares for a total of $6,411,605.
TipRanks has tracked 36,000 company insiders and found that a few of them are better than others when it comes to timing their transactions. See which 3 stocks are most likely to make moves following their insider activities.
Ecolab, Inc. engages in the provision of products and services in the field of water, hygiene, and energy. It operates through the following segments: Global Industrial, Global Institutional, Global Energy, and Other.
