ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Purchases 12,497 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• ABN AMRO Bank N.V. increased its Ecolab stake by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 12,497 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 122,314 shares valued at about $32.0 million.
• Ecolab’s latest earnings met Wall Street expectations, with Q1 EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, or $2.92 annually, for a yield of about 1.1%. Analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. raised its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 122,314 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,497 shares during the period. ABN AMRO Bank N.V.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $32,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $254.07 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.04 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $272.95 and a 200 day moving average of $272.98. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm'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. On average, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

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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