Key Points
- Director Michel Doukeris bought 7,750 Ecolab shares on June 10 at an average price of $258 each, totaling about $2.0 million. After the purchase, he owned 8,326 shares worth roughly $2.15 million.
- Ecolab shares were up 2.8%, opening at $264.30, with the stock trading near its 50-day average and below its 200-day average. The company’s market cap is about $74.38 billion.
- Ecolab reported solid quarterly results and a dividend: earnings matched estimates at $1.70 per share while revenue slightly beat forecasts at $4.07 billion, and the company announced a $0.73 quarterly dividend payable July 15.
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director Michel Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Ecolab Trading Up 2.8%
Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $264.30 on Friday. 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 $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $261.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.51%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $13,240,000 after acquiring an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Finally, ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $22,834,000 after acquiring an additional 13,840 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
ECL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.41.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Ecolab
Ecolab Company Profile
(
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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