BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments Sells 2,060 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 76.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 640 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,060 shares during the period. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $263.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $261.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.36. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. 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 stock has a market cap of $74.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The firm’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. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.48 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 issued 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Bank of America upped their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.