Cibc World Market Inc. Buys 9,041 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 77.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 20,670 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,041 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,426,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

ECL stock opened at $258.60 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $261.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

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.