Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 2,717 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 2,717 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $713,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $258.60 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 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 $261.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.34.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

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.