Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd Buys New Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd opened a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter, buying 7,278 shares valued at about $1.94 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares, while Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares. Overall, insiders purchased a net 10,550 shares over the last three months.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings and revenue above or in line with expectations, raised its FY2026 guidance, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share payable July 15.

Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,278 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,936,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Key Financial Inc boosted its position in Ecolab by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 873 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $3,504,000. Wendell David Associates Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. now owns 72,244 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $19,218,000 after buying an additional 1,810 shares during the period. MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $641,000. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 22.6% in the 1st quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,020,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $278.50 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day moving average is $261.94 and its 200-day moving average is $271.91. The stock has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 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 twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on ECL. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of 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. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.71.

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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