Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Shares of 13,000 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 13,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,458,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $86,670,000 after buying an additional 68,062 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 7.7% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,240,000 after buying an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,394,000 after buying an additional 12,890 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $283.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $79.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $261.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.49.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given 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 (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.71.

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.