Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank reduced its stake in Ecolab by 11.8% in Q4, selling 62,187 shares and now holding 463,150 shares (about 0.16% of the company) valued at $121.586 million.
• CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at an average of $307.37 for roughly $6.15 million—an 18.05% reduction in his position—and Director Tracy B. McKibben also sold 1,265 shares; company insiders now own about 0.50% of the stock.
• Analysts rate Ecolab a Moderate Buy on average with a $321.44 consensus price target, amid divergent firm views (e.g., RBC raised its target to $337 while UBS lowered theirs to $293).

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lowered its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 463,150 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 62,187 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.16% of Ecolab worth $121,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Ecolab by 49.4% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.44.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $275.31 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $77.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.82, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $281.48 and a 200-day moving average of $273.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.39 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

About Ecolab

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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