QRG Capital Management Inc. Purchases 3,469 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 15.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,469 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,394,000 after buying an additional 12,890 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 289,572 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,302,000 after buying an additional 10,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,167.3% during the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 39,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,466,000 after buying an additional 36,723 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ECL. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:ECL opened at $283.17 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 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. The company has a fifty day moving average of $262.51 and a 200 day moving average of $272.33. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The company’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. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid 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 yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 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.