Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 135.7% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 60,086 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,598 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $15,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $283.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $79.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average of $262.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.17. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.