Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Buys 6,537 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Motley Fool Asset Management increased its Ecolab stake by 28.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,537 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 29,302 shares worth about $7.69 million.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, on revenue of $4.07 billion, which topped expectations and rose 10% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of $8.43 to $8.63.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, for an annualized yield of about 1.1%. Meanwhile, analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $322.53.

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 28.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,302 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,537 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $880,506,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,898,565,000 after buying an additional 527,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 195.9% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.5%

ECL stock opened at $263.88 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $261.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.36. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90. 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 (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.48 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.53.

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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