Berger Financial Group Inc Buys 21,261 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Berger Financial Group sharply increased its Ecolab stake in the first quarter, buying 21,261 more shares and boosting its holdings by 871% to 23,702 shares worth about $6.3 million.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.70 matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 10% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, and Wall Street sentiment remains positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and average price target of $323.71.

Berger Financial Group Inc boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 871.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,702 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,261 shares during the period. Berger Financial Group Inc's holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,305,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in Ecolab by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,394,000 after buying an additional 12,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 289,572 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,302,000 after buying an additional 10,792 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $283.17 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $262.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.25. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $79.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. 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.

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