Bornite Capital Management LP Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 250,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,465,000. Ecolab makes up approximately 6.4% of Bornite Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares in the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its position in Ecolab by 25.8% during the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Ecolab by 20.5% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,254,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 162.4% during the 3rd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,469,000 after buying an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $163,744,000 after buying an additional 9,837 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $302.61 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $276.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $306.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.71 billion, a PE ratio of 41.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays upped their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.76.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.