Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Invests $44.36 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. opened a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter, buying 168,898 shares valued at about $44.36 million.
• Ecolab posted solid recent results, with quarterly EPS of $1.70 matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion topping expectations; the company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS.
• Analysts remain constructive on the stock after several target-price hikes, with the consensus rating at Moderate Buy and an average price target of $322.53.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 168,898 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $44,355,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $844,000. National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 31.8% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 788,288 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $206,941,000 after buying an additional 190,375 shares in the last quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 13,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,552,000 after buying an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $1,593,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $256.28 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $261.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.41. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $72.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.53.

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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