Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC Purchases Shares of 7,939 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 7,939 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,084,000. Ecolab accounts for 1.2% of Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th 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. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Ecolab by 25.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 7.7% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Ecolab by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,394,000 after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $269.71 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. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.16. The company has a market capitalization of $75.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued 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 return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’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. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.