PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 139,657 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,235 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $37,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $263.54 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $266.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend 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.