Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. initiated a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter, buying 13,591 shares valued at about $3.57 million.
• Ecolab reported Q1 results in line with expectations, posting EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $4.07 billion, with revenue up 10% year over year. The company also raised its FY 2026 and Q2 2026 guidance.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, which annualizes to $2.92 and yields about 1.1%.

Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 13,591 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,568,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $880,506,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 195.9% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $183,699,000 after purchasing an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $113,287,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 594.6% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $129,560,000 after purchasing an additional 422,471 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, 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. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $258.60 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $261.26 and a 200 day moving average of $271.23. The company has a market cap of $72.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. 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 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The firm's 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, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.53.

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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