Wendell David Associates Inc. Increases Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Wendell David Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,244 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,810 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises 2.1% of Wendell David Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $19,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $278.50 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $261.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $271.91. The firm has a market cap of $78.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.69, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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.