First Growth Capital LLC Makes New $656,000 Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

First Growth Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $656,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 11.2% in the first quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 3,675 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $988,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension lifted its stake in Ecolab by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension now owns 95,794 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,483,000 after acquiring an additional 3,967 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 437.7% in the first quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 4,780 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 3,891 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at approximately $513,000. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 14.7% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE ECL opened at $274.60 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $77.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $263.62 and its 200 day moving average is $272.85.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.29.

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.