Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Has $18.92 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 7.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 71,134 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,656 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,923,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of 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. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.0%

ECL stock opened at $278.50 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.91. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.69, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 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 firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. The business’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. On average, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Ecolab 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.