Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Cuts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer cut its Ecolab position by 15.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 21,341 shares and leaving it with 116,609 shares valued at about $30.6 million.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, while revenue rose 10% year over year to $4.07 billion and topped expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 1.2%; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $322.53.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 116,609 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 21,341 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Ecolab were worth $30,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $249.14 on Friday. 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 $70.12 billion, a PE ratio of 33.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.92. The firm's 50-day moving average is $267.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.05. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $248.60 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.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 company posted $1.50 EPS. The company'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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company's 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 sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One 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, Ecolab has a consensus 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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