Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Invests $3.80 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 14,280 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,799,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $275.57 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $264.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.03. 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 firm has a market cap of $77.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89.

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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.