Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,448 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,296 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $20,071,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th 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 raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,684,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.1%

Ecolab stock opened at $283.17 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $262.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.25. 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 (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 return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue 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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.