First Trust Advisors LP Has $268.52 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 9.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,009,396 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 105,857 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.36% of Ecolab worth $268,520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $267.23 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $265.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.15. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. 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 has a market capitalization of $75.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio 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.