Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Acquires 4,656 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its Ecolab stake by 7.0% in Q1, buying 4,656 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 71,134 shares worth about $18.9 million.
• Ecolab posted solid quarterly results, with earnings of $1.70 per share matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion topping expectations, while sales rose 10% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and average price target of $323.71.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 7.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,134 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,656 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $278.50 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The company's 50 day moving average price is $261.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.91. The firm has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.Ecolab's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $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. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.71.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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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