Hsbc Holdings PLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC increased its Ecolab stake by 0.8% in Q4, ending with 944,864 shares valued at about $248.1 million. Institutional investors still own a large majority of the company, at 74.91% of outstanding shares.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, matching EPS expectations at $1.70 and topping revenue estimates with $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $8.43-$8.63 EPS and Q2 2026 guidance of $2.02-$2.12 EPS.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, which annualizes to $2.92 per share and a 1.0% yield. Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 944,864 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,623 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.34% of Ecolab worth $248,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $283.17 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $262.22 and a 200-day moving average of $272.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $79.69 billion, a PE ratio of 38.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ECL. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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