Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 212,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,032 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $56,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted 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 valued at $24,810,000 after acquiring an additional 941,472 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted 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 valued at $417,747,000 after acquiring an additional 813,996 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.29.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $270.03 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $264.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.96. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $76.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.54, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The business 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. 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 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

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.