Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Rathbones Group PLC

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC increased its Ecolab stake by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 304,964 shares valued at about $80.1 million. Institutional ownership remains high, with funds and hedge investors holding 74.91% of the stock.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings of $1.70 per share, matching Wall Street expectations, while revenue of $4.07 billion topped estimates and rose 10% year over year. The company also issued FY 2026 EPS guidance of $8.43 to $8.63.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, equal to an annualized dividend of $2.92 and a yield of 1.2%. Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $320.65.

Rathbones Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 304,964 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,392 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 0.11% of Ecolab worth $80,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 7.7% during the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $13,240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% during the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $22,834,000 after purchasing an additional 13,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.65.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $248.85 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $264.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.55. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab'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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

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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