Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) CEO Sells 17,862 Shares

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of ECL stock traded down $4.89 on Thursday, reaching $280.73. 1,846,629 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,484,195. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $275.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.68. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 22.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after buying an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

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.