Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Invests $44.36 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 168,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,355,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 88.7% in the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $256.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.68, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $261.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.41. 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. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. 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, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

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.