Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA Lowers Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308,963 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,159 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up 5.3% of Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA owned approximately 0.11% of Ecolab worth $84,613,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $304.07 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $278.35 and a 200-day moving average of $273.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $306.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. The business’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, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.