Leonteq Securities AG Purchases Shares of 2,670 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,670 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $701,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after acquiring an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Ecolab by 195.9% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $113,287,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Ecolab by 594.6% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $129,560,000 after acquiring an additional 422,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 115.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $253.33 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.30 billion, a PE ratio of 34.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $263.35 and its 200-day moving average is $271.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for 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%. The business’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on ECL shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.65.

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.