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Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Charter Communications, Waste Connections and Ecolab
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – May 20, 2026 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Charter Communications (CHTR - Free Report) , Waste Connections (WCN - Free Report) and Ecolab (ECL - Free Report) .
Insiders Are Buying These 3 Stocks
Many investors keep a close eye on insider transactions, as they can often give a decent read surrounding the longer-term picture.
Of course, it's important to note that insiders have a longer holding period than most, and many strict rules apply to their transactions.
Recently, insiders of several companies – Charter Communications, Waste Connections and Ecolab – have made splashes, acquiring shares. Let's take a closer look at the transactions for those interested in trading like the insiders.
Ecolab Director Buys
Ecolab shares had a strong start to 2026 before cooling off in recent months, overall down 6% and underperforming relative to the S&P 500. A director recently picked up 1k shares at an overall transaction value of just over $250k, bringing their total shares held to roughly 25k.
The share's weakness over the last several months could have reflected an enticing opportunity for the director, with the growth picture remaining decently solid for a company residing in the Basic Materials sector. EPS is expected to grow by 13% in its current fiscal year and 14% in FY27, with sales expected to be up 9% in FY26 and 5.4% in FY27, respectively.
Shares also pay a nice dividend, currently yielding 1.2% annually. Dividend growth is also there, with Ecolab sporting an 8.8% five-year annualized dividend growth rate.
Charter Communications Director Makes Big Splash
A director of Charter Communications made a big splash recently, acquiring nearly 10k shares at an overall transaction value of just under $1.4 million. The director now holds approximately 19.3k shares, with the buy essentially doubling their position.
CHTR shares have had a tough ride in 2026 so far, down nearly 33% and facing big pressure after its latest set of quarterly results. Sales growth is expected to be flat for its current and next fiscal years, but earnings are still forecasted to grow 19% and 11%, respectively. While the improving profitability picture is a nice positive, the weak sales growth is a big factor that's weighed on overall sentiment.
That said, the recent insider buys do help instill a level of confidence from a long-term perspective, but it's more beneficial to simply keep an eye on the stock for now and wait until a positive set of quarterly results rolls in to help confirm a turnaround in its revenue outlook.
Waste Connections CEO Buys
The CEO of Waste Connections recently dove in with a sizable 50k share purchase, with the overall transaction value coming in at roughly $7.6 million. They now hold just over 300k WCN shares, with the recent purchase increasing their position by a fairly large margin.
WCN shares have also faced some adverse action in 2026, down over 9% and underperforming relative to the S&P 500. But the growth picture still remains solid, with earnings forecasted to grow 7% in its current FY26 and then see an acceleration to a 12.3% growth rate in 2027. Concerning the top line, sales are expected to grow 5.6% in FY26 and 6% in FY27.
Sales growth has remained steady over recent years, with shares also currently yielding 0.8% annually. It's shown a strong commitment to increasingly rewarding shareholders, boasting a 11.5% five-year annualized dividend growth rate.
Bottom Line
Many investors closely monitor insider buys, looking to receive insights into the longer-term picture. The transactions shouldn't be relied on for near-term performance, as insiders' holding periods are longer than most, and many strict rules apply.
Rather, investors can see insider buys as an overall net positive concerning the longer-term outlook.
All stocks above have seen recent insider activity.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Charter Communications, Waste Connections and Ecolab
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – May 20, 2026 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Charter Communications (CHTR - Free Report) , Waste Connections (WCN - Free Report) and Ecolab (ECL - Free Report) .
Insiders Are Buying These 3 Stocks
Many investors keep a close eye on insider transactions, as they can often give a decent read surrounding the longer-term picture.
Of course, it's important to note that insiders have a longer holding period than most, and many strict rules apply to their transactions.
Recently, insiders of several companies – Charter Communications, Waste Connections and Ecolab – have made splashes, acquiring shares. Let's take a closer look at the transactions for those interested in trading like the insiders.
Ecolab Director Buys
Ecolab shares had a strong start to 2026 before cooling off in recent months, overall down 6% and underperforming relative to the S&P 500. A director recently picked up 1k shares at an overall transaction value of just over $250k, bringing their total shares held to roughly 25k.
The share's weakness over the last several months could have reflected an enticing opportunity for the director, with the growth picture remaining decently solid for a company residing in the Basic Materials sector. EPS is expected to grow by 13% in its current fiscal year and 14% in FY27, with sales expected to be up 9% in FY26 and 5.4% in FY27, respectively.
Shares also pay a nice dividend, currently yielding 1.2% annually. Dividend growth is also there, with Ecolab sporting an 8.8% five-year annualized dividend growth rate.
Charter Communications Director Makes Big Splash
A director of Charter Communications made a big splash recently, acquiring nearly 10k shares at an overall transaction value of just under $1.4 million. The director now holds approximately 19.3k shares, with the buy essentially doubling their position.
CHTR shares have had a tough ride in 2026 so far, down nearly 33% and facing big pressure after its latest set of quarterly results. Sales growth is expected to be flat for its current and next fiscal years, but earnings are still forecasted to grow 19% and 11%, respectively. While the improving profitability picture is a nice positive, the weak sales growth is a big factor that's weighed on overall sentiment.
That said, the recent insider buys do help instill a level of confidence from a long-term perspective, but it's more beneficial to simply keep an eye on the stock for now and wait until a positive set of quarterly results rolls in to help confirm a turnaround in its revenue outlook.
Waste Connections CEO Buys
The CEO of Waste Connections recently dove in with a sizable 50k share purchase, with the overall transaction value coming in at roughly $7.6 million. They now hold just over 300k WCN shares, with the recent purchase increasing their position by a fairly large margin.
WCN shares have also faced some adverse action in 2026, down over 9% and underperforming relative to the S&P 500. But the growth picture still remains solid, with earnings forecasted to grow 7% in its current FY26 and then see an acceleration to a 12.3% growth rate in 2027. Concerning the top line, sales are expected to grow 5.6% in FY26 and 6% in FY27.
Sales growth has remained steady over recent years, with shares also currently yielding 0.8% annually. It's shown a strong commitment to increasingly rewarding shareholders, boasting a 11.5% five-year annualized dividend growth rate.
Bottom Line
Many investors closely monitor insider buys, looking to receive insights into the longer-term picture. The transactions shouldn't be relied on for near-term performance, as insiders' holding periods are longer than most, and many strict rules apply.
Rather, investors can see insider buys as an overall net positive concerning the longer-term outlook.
All stocks above have seen recent insider activity.
Free: Instant Access to Zacks' Market-Crushing Strategies
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can tap into those powerful strategies – and the high-potential stocks they uncover – free. No strings attached.
Get all the details here >>
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.