Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. Sells 11,000 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 25.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 31,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 11,000 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises 1.0% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.71.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:ECL opened at $283.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.39, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $261.68 and a 200 day moving average of $271.49.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend 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.