AlpenGlobal Capital LLC Takes $3.56 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• AlpenGlobal Capital disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Ecolab, buying 13,379 shares worth about $3.56 million. The position makes up 2.3% of its portfolio and is its 17th-largest holding.
• Ecolab’s latest earnings matched expectations, with Q1 EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year. The company also reiterated guidance, including FY 2026 EPS of $8.43 to $8.63.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive: analysts’ consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average price target of $324.29. Ecolab also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, yielding about 1.1% annually.

AlpenGlobal Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 13,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,559,000. Ecolab makes up 2.3% of AlpenGlobal Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $324.29.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $274.60 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $263.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $272.81. The company has a market cap of $77.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.16, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted 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 analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. Research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued 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 (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Company 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.

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