Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $767,000 in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $767,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 11,527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,157,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.9% in the third quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 289,572 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,302,000 after buying an additional 10,792 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.9% in the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 14,971 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,086,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co grew its position in Ecolab by 37.9% during the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 7,167 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,963,000 after buying an additional 1,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.0% during the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 38,124 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,441,000 after purchasing an additional 744 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $275.64 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $286.88 and a 200-day moving average of $274.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $77.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.86, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ECL. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

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.