Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Buys $205,528.00 in Stock
by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat GemEcolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,224,929.30. This represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Ecolab Price Performance
ECL traded up $2.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $257.63. The company had a trading volume of 1,117,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,405,932. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $72.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $249.04 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $275.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.28.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,810,000 after acquiring an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $417,747,000 after acquiring an additional 813,996 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ECL
About Ecolab
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.