Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Buys $1,999,500.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Ecolab director Michel Doukeris bought 7,750 shares at $258 each, spending about $2.0 million, and boosted his ownership by more than 1,300%.
• The stock was trading up 2.8% to $264.30, with Ecolab carrying a market cap of $74.38 billion and a 52-week range of $243.15 to $309.27.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings in line with estimates at $1.70 per share, while revenue rose 10% year over year; the company also confirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director Michel Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.8%

ECL traded up $7.31 during trading on Thursday, hitting $264.30. 1,387,528 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,500,171. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $261.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.33. The firm has a market cap of $74.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.41.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Ecolab by 49.4% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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