Insider Selling: Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) CEO Sells $6,147,400.00 in Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $308.06 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $282.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.21. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $86.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 1,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 25,007 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,738,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.