Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Truist Financial Corp

Key Points

• Truist Financial raised its stake in Ecolab by 1.6%, buying 6,953 shares to hold 449,882 shares (about 0.16% of the company) valued at roughly $118.1 million.
• Ecolab reported Q results of $1.70 EPS (in line) and $4.07 billion revenue (beat), with revenue up 10% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance of $8.430–$8.630 EPS and Q2 guidance of $2.020–$2.120.
• Company insiders sold stock recently: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares (~$6.15 million) and a director sold 1,265 shares, with insiders owning about 0.50% of the stock.

Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 449,882 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,953 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp owned 0.16% of Ecolab worth $118,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% in the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% in the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kampmann Melissa S. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 13,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,746,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $255.78 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $72.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.61, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. The company's 50-day moving average is $275.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.28. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $249.04 and a 1-year 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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