Shell Asset Management Co. Reduces Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Shell Asset Management Co. decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 76.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,316 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,584 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $298.90 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $274.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $306.52.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank downgraded Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.06.

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.