Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S reduced its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 79.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,767 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 87,381 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 26,152.0% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,810,000 after acquiring an additional 941,472 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $417,747,000 after buying an additional 813,996 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $269.16 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $261.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $75.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.42, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.41.

Ecolab 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.