Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Suzanne Vautrinot Sells 1,004 Shares

Key Points

• Director Suzanne Vautrinot sold 1,004 Ecolab shares on May 27 at an average price of $264.98, for proceeds of about $266,040. After the sale, she still held 11,651 shares, a 7.93% reduction in her position.
• Ecolab reported solid first-quarter results, matching earnings expectations at $1.70 per share and topping revenue estimates with $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year. The company also reaffirmed full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $8.43 to $8.63.
• The company continues to attract mostly positive Wall Street sentiment, with analysts maintaining a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53. Ecolab also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15.

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director Suzanne Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL traded up $8.94 on Wednesday, reaching $263.17. The company had a trading volume of 2,597,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,461,597. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $74.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The company's fifty day moving average is $262.50 and its 200 day moving average is $271.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an "outperform" rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 28.9% during the 1st quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 46,851 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $12,463,000 after acquiring an additional 10,502 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Grp LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 256.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.6% during the 1st quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 19,596 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,201,000 after acquiring an additional 9,208 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 22,388 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,956,000 after acquiring an additional 6,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

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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