Berger Financial Group Inc Increases Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Berger Financial Group Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 871.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 23,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 21,261 shares during the period. Berger Financial Group Inc’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:ECL opened at $283.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $79.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $272.25.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued 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 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

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.