PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Increases Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 139,657 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,235 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $37,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $263.54 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $266.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $74.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 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 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’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. Research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Company 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.