Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by HF Advisory Group LLC

HF Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1,167.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 39,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,723 shares during the quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th 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. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $269.53 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $76.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $284.88 and its 200-day moving average is $273.56.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.