R Squared Ltd Buys Shares of 2,248 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,248 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $598,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of ECL traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $284.27. 264,693 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,531,586. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $262.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $272.33. 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 company has a market cap of $80.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter 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. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.71.

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.