Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Swiss National Bank

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank boosted its Ecolab stake by 6.9% in the first quarter, ending with 748,094 shares valued at about $199 million.
• Several institutional investors and insiders added to their positions, including EVP Benjamin M. Clark and Director David Maclennan, suggesting continued confidence in the company.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings and revenue above expectations, raised guidance for FY2026 and Q2 2026, and maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share with a 1.1% yield.

Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 748,094 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 48,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.26% of Ecolab worth $199,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 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, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $272.91 on Monday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $264.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.08. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $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. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

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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