Raiffeisen Bank International AG Sells 30,902 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Raiffeisen Bank International AG lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 12.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 221,499 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 30,902 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG owned approximately 0.08% of Ecolab worth $58,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Michel Doukeris bought 7,750 shares at $258 each, a $2.0 million purchase that signals confidence in Ecolab’s outlook and can support the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab also reaffirmed investor-friendly fundamentals, including a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share and full-year 2026 guidance of $8.43 to $8.63 EPS, which may help investors view the shares as a stable long-term hold. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive overall, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target around $323.41, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside despite near-term noise. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares for about $2.6 million, which can weigh on sentiment because insider selling sometimes raises questions about short-term confidence. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates slightly, a small but negative sign that profit expectations have softened a bit. Article Title

Ecolab Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $264.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $261.05 and a 200 day moving average of $271.31. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.41.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 9,550 shares of company stock worth $2,455,678 in the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.