North Dakota State Investment Board Takes $2.25 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board initiated a new position in Ecolab, buying 8,552 shares worth about $2.25 million in the fourth quarter.
• Wall Street sentiment on Ecolab is generally positive, with several analysts raising ratings and price targets; the stock now carries a consensus Moderate Buy and a target price of about $322.53.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, matching EPS estimates and topping revenue expectations, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share to be paid July 15.

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,552 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,245,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $249.17 on Tuesday. 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 50 day moving average price of $265.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.69. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $245.25 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92.

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 for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 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.

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