Entropy Technologies LP Buys New Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 12,652 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,366,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,810,000 after buying an additional 941,472 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 58.8% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $596,902,000 after buying an additional 830,726 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $268.73 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 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. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $266.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.12.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The firm'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, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $324.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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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