CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Acquires 3,707 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• CHICAGO TRUST Co NA boosted its Ecolab stake by 57.1% in Q1, adding 3,707 shares to bring its total to 10,200 shares worth about $2.71 million.
• Analysts remain constructive on Ecolab, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $323.71; several firms recently raised or adjusted their targets.
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, while revenue rose 10% year over year to $4.07 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15.

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 57.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,200 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,707 shares during the quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA's holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $278.48 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $261.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.04. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year 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 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business 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 business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company'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, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.51%.

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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