CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. Takes $29.13 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 106,382 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,134,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.24.

Ecolab Trading Down 3.9%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $261.93 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $287.20 and its 200 day moving average is $274.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

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.