David Maclennan Purchases 1,000 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

David Maclennan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, May 4th, David Maclennan purchased 800 shares of Ecolab stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE:ECL opened at $247.50 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $245.25 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average is $266.61 and its 200-day moving average is $271.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

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.