BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Trims Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S cut its Ecolab position by 79.3% in the first quarter, selling 87,381 shares and leaving it with 22,767 shares valued at about $6.1 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive: analysts have assigned Ecolab a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $323.41, while several firms recently raised or lowered targets and ratings.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings of $1.70 per share, matching estimates, on revenue of $4.07 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share payable July 15.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 79.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,767 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 87,381 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 944,864 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $248,131,000 after acquiring an additional 7,623 shares in the last quarter. Stance Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,403,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 127,456 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,469,000 after purchasing an additional 15,955 shares in the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 13,363 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,508,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.41.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE ECL opened at $269.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $75.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $261.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.14. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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. On average, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Ecolab 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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