David Maclennan Acquires 1,000 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

David Maclennan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, May 4th, David Maclennan bought 800 shares of Ecolab stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ECL traded down $0.48 on Thursday, hitting $249.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,584,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,429,312. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $248.60 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $268.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.71, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on ECL. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 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.