Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 857,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 63,728 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $225,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.1%

Ecolab stock opened at $274.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.16 billion, a PE ratio of 37.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $261.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal 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 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ECL. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.