Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV lessened its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 97.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 944 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 32,055 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $256.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $261.07 and its 200-day moving average is $271.33. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm 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 for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. 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 research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. 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 report on Wednesday, May 20th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.41.

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.