Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 762,319 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,772 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $200,124,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 0.5% during the fourth 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,013,557,000 after purchasing an additional 202,449 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $880,506,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
Ecolab Price Performance
Ecolab stock opened at $257.41 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $72.44 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $261.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.35. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 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.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $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. On average, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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