Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 748,094 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 48,600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $199,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. World Equity Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 1,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 23.3% during the 1st quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 30,237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,044,000 after acquiring an additional 5,719 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,864 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% in the first quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were 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 owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $272.91 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two 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’s 50 day moving average price is $264.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.08.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. On average, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.