Freemont Management S.A. Boosts Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Freemont Management S.A. nearly tripled its Ecolab stake in Q4, boosting holdings by 196.8% to 18,400 shares valued at about $4.83 million.
• Ecolab’s latest earnings met expectations, with EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $4.07 billion, while the company also issued guidance for FY2026 EPS of $8.43 to $8.63.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $322.53.

Freemont Management S.A. lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 196.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,400 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 12,200 shares during the quarter. Freemont Management S.A.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $249.58 on Thursday. 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 $248.60 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $70.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $268.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.25.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab's revenue for the quarter 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, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Ecolab 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ECL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.