Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Sells 2,004 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,004 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $13,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $258.60 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $261.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.23. The company has a market cap of $72.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. 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 analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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.