Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.
Ecolab Trading Up 0.8%
NYSE:ECL opened at $257.63 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $274.81 and its 200-day moving average is $273.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $249.04 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $72.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company's quarterly 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. Equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were 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 was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.53.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ecolab
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 26,152.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $417,747,000 after purchasing an additional 813,996 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.
About Ecolab
(
Get Free Report)
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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