Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by AMI Asset Management Corp

AMI Asset Management Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 99,681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,188 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up approximately 1.7% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. AMI Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,517,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 7.7% during the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,394,000 after buying an additional 12,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price 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 approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $278.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $78.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.90. The company’s fifty day moving average is $261.87 and its 200-day moving average is $271.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. 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. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. One investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.71.

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.