Blair William & Co. IL Boosts Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 857,871 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 63,728 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL owned 0.30% of Ecolab worth $225,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of Ecolab 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 purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $274.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $261.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $271.25. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $77.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.10, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.41.

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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