Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Acquires $1,999,500.00 in Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director Michel Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of Ecolab stock traded up $7.31 on Thursday, reaching $264.30. 1,387,528 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,500,171. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.76, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $261.07 and a 200 day moving average of $271.33.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup cut their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.41.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its position in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Ecolab by 58.8% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $596,902,000 after purchasing an additional 830,726 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.