David Maclennan Buys 800 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,224,929.30. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $263.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $273.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.12. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $249.04 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on ECL shares. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Robert W. Baird decreased 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, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

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.