Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 944,864 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,623 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $248,131,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.71.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $283.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $262.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $272.17. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $79.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The business’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

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.