12,652 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 12,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,366,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $268.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $266.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.12. The stock has a market cap of $75.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business’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. Analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.06.

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.