iA Global Asset Management Inc. Invests $3.50 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management disclosed a new position in Ecolab, buying 13,171 shares worth about $3.5 million in the first quarter.
• Ecolab’s latest earnings matched expectations, with $1.70 EPS on $4.07 billion in revenue, while the company also issued FY2026 guidance of $8.43 to $8.63 per share.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, and analysts remain generally positive with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $323.71.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 13,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,504,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,684,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $278.48 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm's fifty day moving average is $261.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm'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 anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECL. Citigroup increased their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.71.

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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