Moore Capital Management LP Makes New $7.30 Million Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Moore Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 26,194 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,298,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $287.06 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $278.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

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.