Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Grows Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2,470.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 259,009 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 248,932 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $68,902,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at approximately $83,370,000. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 3,510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $934,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 7,479 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,990,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 10.7% during the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,449 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $391,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 58.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $596,902,000 after acquiring an additional 830,726 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup increased their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $268.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.63 billion, a PE ratio of 36.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $266.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.12. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $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. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.