Chesapeake Capital Corp IL Makes New $1.02 Million Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Chesapeake Capital Corp IL acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 3,706 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,015,000. Ecolab makes up 0.9% of Chesapeake Capital Corp IL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $274.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $287.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.53. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a PE ratio of 37.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on ECL. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

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.