Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. reduced its Ecolab stake by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 43,686 shares and leaving it with 236,685 shares valued at about $62.1 million.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, while revenue came in at $4.07 billion, above expectations and up 10% year over year. The company also issued FY2026 guidance of $8.43 to $8.63 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share payable July 15, and Wall Street currently rates the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $321.06.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 236,685 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 43,686 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises approximately 1.1% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned approximately 0.08% of Ecolab worth $62,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $245.61 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $69.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.92. 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 50-day moving average of $265.12 and a 200 day moving average of $271.61.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ECL. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $321.06.

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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