Ecolab Inc. $ECL Position Decreased by Brown Advisory Inc.

Key Points

• Brown Advisory Inc. trimmed its Ecolab stake by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,042 shares and leaving it with about 1.5 million shares valued at roughly $394.7 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with investors like Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Geode Capital all boosting positions; institutions now hold about 74.9% of Ecolab’s shares.
• Ecolab’s fundamentals and outlook remain solid, as the company beat revenue estimates in its latest quarter, kept full-year guidance intact, and maintains a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average target price of $323.41.

Brown Advisory Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,503,650 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 14,042 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. owned approximately 0.53% of Ecolab worth $394,744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,599,000 after buying an additional 46,569 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.41.

Key Ecolab News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Michel Doukeris made a sizable purchase of 7,750 Ecolab shares at $258 each, a multi-million-dollar bet that can signal confidence in the company’s outlook. Michel Doukeris Acquires 7,750 Shares of Ecolab NYSE: ECL Stock
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to show solid operating fundamentals, with its last quarterly earnings meeting EPS expectations and revenue coming in above estimates, while full-year guidance remains intact.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab also confirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a steady income name rather than a pure growth story.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain mixed but generally favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a price target above current trading levels, though Erste Group recently trimmed its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts slightly.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares, which can weigh on sentiment even though the sale appears to be relatively modest compared with his remaining stake. Ecolab NYSE: ECL COO Sells $2,608,900.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent analyst commentary has focused on valuation concerns, suggesting Ecolab’s premium multiple could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Is S&P 500 Valuation Scrutiny Weighing on Ecolab's Premium?

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $265.53 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $74.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $260.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.27. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $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. Research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 9,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,455,678. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ECL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.