Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Invests $7.14 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Ecolab, buying 27,191 shares worth about $7.14 million.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings of $1.70 per share, matching expectations, while revenue of $4.07 billion topped estimates and rose 10% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share payable July 15, and analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $321.06.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,191 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $7,138,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 195.9% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $183,699,000 after purchasing an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $113,287,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Ecolab by 594.6% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $129,560,000 after purchasing an additional 422,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 115.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $193,753,000 after purchasing an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $245.61 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $265.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $321.06.

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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