BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 3,820 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lowered its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 110,148 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,820 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $28,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $258.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $261.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.23.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue 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, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reissued 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

About Ecolab

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.