Ethic Inc. Grows Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 14.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 5,221 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,013,557,000 after purchasing an additional 202,449 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Ecolab by 3.0% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $591,535,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Ecolab by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,718,633 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $453,857,000 after purchasing an additional 65,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Ecolab by 0.8% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,415,887 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $387,748,000 after purchasing an additional 11,661 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. 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. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE ECL opened at $254.07 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $272.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $272.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $71.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.04 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Ecolab Profile

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.