Capital International Sarl Buys New Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Capital International Sarl bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 107,330 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $28,176,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE ECL opened at $258.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $261.26 and a 200 day moving average of $271.23. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. 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 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on ECL. Bank of America upped their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab 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 given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

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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