Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 200,023 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 21,059 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $52,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 1,375.0% in 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. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 88.7% in 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. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $321.06.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
Ecolab Stock Down 1.4%
Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $245.61 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $265.12 and a 200-day moving average of $271.61. 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 company has a market capitalization of $69.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.
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