Inceptionr LLC Has $1.86 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Inceptionr LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 128.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,009 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for 0.4% of Inceptionr LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,865,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Ecolab by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,167.3% during the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 39,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,466,000 after purchasing an additional 36,723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $1,571,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $263.54 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $266.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.16. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $74.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.89. 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 (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.