Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC cut its Ecolab stake sharply in the first quarter, selling 168,985 shares and reducing its holdings by 59.5% to 114,829 shares worth about $30.5 million.
• Ecolab’s latest quarterly results were solid: earnings of $1.70 per share matched estimates, while revenue of $4.07 billion came in slightly above expectations and rose 10% year over year.
• The company reaffirmed a shareholder-friendly profile with a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share and analyst sentiment that remains mostly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.41.

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 59.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,829 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 168,985 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $30,547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 7.7% in the third quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 48,231 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $13,240,000 after acquiring an additional 3,464 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,394,000 after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.2%

ECL opened at $268.83 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $75.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The business's 50 day moving average is $261.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 is currently 39.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ECL. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.41.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business'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 value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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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