Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stake Boosted by Osprey Private Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its Ecolab stake by 24.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,035 additional shares and bringing its total to 30,545 shares valued at about $8.0 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive, with several firms raising price targets; Ecolab now has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target price of $322.53.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, on revenue of $4.07 billion, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share to be paid July 15.

Osprey Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 24.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,545 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,035 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for about 2.3% of Osprey Private Wealth LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Osprey Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 4.3% in the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 3.4% in the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Kampmann Melissa S. increased its position in Ecolab by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 13,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,746,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on ECL. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $254.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $249.04 and a one year high of $309.27. The stock's fifty day moving average is $272.95 and its 200-day moving average is $272.98.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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 8.5 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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