Wendell David Associates Inc. Boosts Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Wendell David Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 72,244 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,810 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises approximately 2.1% of Wendell David Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $19,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in 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 period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% in 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 buying an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $417,747,000 after buying an additional 813,996 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $278.50 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $261.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.91. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab 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.