Moore Capital Management LP Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Moore Capital Management LP bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 95,063 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,034,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wealth Group Ltd lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $273.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $287.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $274.41.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

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.