2,320 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Acquired by DJE Kapital AG

DJE Kapital AG purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 2,320 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $613,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riverwater Partners LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 2,874 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $754,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 223,152 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,582,000 after buying an additional 13,100 shares in the last quarter. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $295,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,373,717 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $360,628,000 after acquiring an additional 56,010 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought 9,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,455,678 in the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $264.30 on Friday. 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 $74.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.31. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly 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. 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. 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 report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.41.

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.