Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 337,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,347 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $89,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after buying an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,394,000 after buying an additional 12,890 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,167.3% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 39,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,466,000 after acquiring an additional 36,723 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Bank of America upped 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. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.29.
Ecolab Stock Performance
ECL stock opened at $270.03 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $76.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.96.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab
In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
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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