QRG Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• QRG Capital increased its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% in Q4, buying 6,238 shares to hold 22,362 shares worth about $5.87 million.
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $4.07 billion (up 10% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of 8.43–8.63 EPS.
• Analysts have increased optimism—multiple upgrades and price-target raises leave the stock with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $322.53, well above the recent trading level.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 38.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,870,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,013,557,000 after acquiring an additional 202,449 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Ecolab by 3.0% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $591,535,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,718,633 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $453,857,000 after purchasing an additional 65,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,415,887 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $387,748,000 after purchasing an additional 11,661 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 24,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE:ECL opened at $263.76 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.04 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $273.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.12. The company has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a PE ratio of 35.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

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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