Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Moore Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Moore Capital Management increased its Ecolab stake by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 6,790 shares and bringing its position to 101,853 shares worth about $26.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted holdings, and 74.91% of Ecolab’s stock is owned by institutions and hedge funds, highlighting strong professional investor interest.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, with revenue of $4.07 billion topping forecasts; analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average target price of $323.41.

Moore Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,853 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,790 shares during the quarter. Moore Capital Management LP's holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,738,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Man Group plc lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 555,187 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $145,748,000 after acquiring an additional 8,322 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its stake in Ecolab by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 26,540 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,967,000 after buying an additional 6,283 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $417,747,000 after buying an additional 813,996 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 134,495 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,308,000 after buying an additional 16,359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $956,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was 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 $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America upped their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.41.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $268.87 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week 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. The business's 50-day moving average is $261.32 and its 200-day moving average is $271.21.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued 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 is currently 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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