KNA Capital Management's Todd Wenning on making sense of the upside with Ecolab $ECL

Nov 8, 2024

Todd Wenning, President and CIO at KNA Capital Management, dives deep into Ecolab Inc., a leader in sustainability solutions. He discusses the market's oversight of Ecolab's growth potential, especially in its critical water and hygiene services for industries like healthcare and data centers. Todd unpacks the company's business model, investor incentives, and shows the impact of AI and automation. With insights into Ecolab's competitive landscape, he reveals why this company stands out in a crowded market.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 4min

Evaluating Ecolab: Valuation vs. Performance

03:42 • 9min

Ecolab's Evolving Business Model

12:32 • 13min

Analyzing Ecolab's Diverse Business Model and Customer-Centric Strategies

25:44 • 3min

Market Dynamics and Innovation at Ecolab and Cintas

29:13 • 27min

Evaluating Risks in Ecolab's Business Model

56:32 • 4min

Investment Insights on Ecolab

01:00:20 • 4min

Todd Wenning, CFA, President and CIO at KNA Capital Management, joins the podcast to discuss his thesis on Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL), a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services.

For more information about KNA Capital Management, please visit: https://www.kna-capital.com/

To subscribe to Todd's newsletter, Flyover Stocks, on Substack, please visit: https://www.flyoverstocks.com/

You can Follow Todd Wenning on Twitter/X @ToddWenning: https://x.com/ToddWenning

Chapters:

[0:00] Introduction + Episode sponsor: Daloopa

[1:24] What is Ecolab $ECL and why is it interesting to Todd

[3:38] What is Todd seeing that the market is missing with $ECL

[6:30] $ECL achilles heel and how they are addressing that / understanding the upside

[12:33] $ECL business and major drivers for growth

[20:11] Water vertical / why Ecolab's products and services are critical to data centers, hospitals

[26:29] Does it make sense for $ECL to have all these businesses under one roof?

[29:22] Cintas comparison: market penetration / has $ECL ever lost a QSR?

[36:18] Insider ownership and incentives / Bill Gates investment, starting to sell through Cascade

[45:47] Debate on AI and automation with Ecolab

[51:37] Difference between Ecolab and Cintas or Costco

[57:16] What would cause $ECL to regress to the mean

[1:00:57] $ECL Final thoughts

Today's sponsor: Daloopa Hey there, fundamental analysts - Are you tired of the endless grind of updating financial models, scrubbing documents, and hard coding? Let’s talk about something that could transform your workflow—Daloopa.

Daloopa delivers perfect historicals for thousands of public companies. That means every KPI, operating data, financial metric, adjustment, and guidance—all at your fingertips. And here’s the best part: Daloopa updates your models in near real-time, which is especially important during earnings season, tailored to your modeling format and style.

Imagine never having to update your models again. With Daloopa, you can reclaim your time and focus on what really matters—analysis and research.

Want to learn more? Create a FREE account at Daloopa.com/YAV