Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA

Key Points

• Mcdonald Capital Investors trimmed its Ecolab stake by 1.5% in Q1, but still held 292,116 shares valued at about $77.7 million, making Ecolab its ninth-largest position.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares, while Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares; insiders have netted purchases of 10,550 shares over the last 90 days.
• Ecolab remains broadly favored by analysts with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.29, while the company recently reported earnings in line with expectations and maintained a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share.

Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 292,116 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,406 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises 5.3% of Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA owned approximately 0.10% of Ecolab worth $77,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 26,152.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $417,747,000 after purchasing an additional 813,996 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value 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. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective 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 stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $324.29.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.9%

Ecolab stock opened at $271.96 on Tuesday. 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 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $263.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.90. The firm has a market cap of $76.54 billion, a PE ratio of 36.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89.

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 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 firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The business'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. Analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 39.51%.

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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