Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt Sells 198,100 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Alecta Tjänstepension Omsesidigt cut its stake in Ecolab by 29.3%, selling 198,100 shares and leaving it with 479,000 shares (about 0.17% of the company) valued at roughly $125.8 million.
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year-over-year, and issued FY 2026 guidance of $8.430–$8.630 EPS with Q2 guidance of $2.020–$2.120.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 ($2.92 annual, ~1.1% yield), has a market cap of about $74.5 billion, and carries an average analyst target of $322.53 (consensus: Moderate Buy).

Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt reduced its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 29.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 479,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 198,100 shares during the quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt owned approximately 0.17% of Ecolab worth $125,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.4%

ECL opened at $263.76 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.04 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. 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 market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $273.98 and a 200-day moving average of $273.12.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company's 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, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

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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