Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by King Luther Capital Management Corp

King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 926,736 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,618 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up 1.0% of King Luther Capital Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. King Luther Capital Management Corp owned about 0.33% of Ecolab worth $253,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Avestar Capital LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,533 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its stake in Ecolab by 7.2% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 17,856 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,890,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 6.1% during the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 13,694 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,546,000 after buying an additional 788 shares during the period. Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $68,465,000. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,522 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $417,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.4%

ECL opened at $302.61 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $306.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.71 billion, a PE ratio of 41.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $276.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $272.47.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. 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 expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.76.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.