Darrell Brown Sells 10,000 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $264.30 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $261.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.31. 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 announced its 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 firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The business’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, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.41.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.