Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stake Lowered by Horizon Investments LLC

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC cut its stake in Ecolab by 24.8% in Q4, selling 4,264 shares and ending the period with 12,950 shares worth about $3.4 million.
• CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at an average $307.37 (≈$6.15M), reducing his position by 18.05%, and Director Tracy B. McKibben also sold 1,265 shares.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70 (in line) and revenue of $4.07B (beat), issued FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (annual $2.92, yield 1.1%).

Horizon Investments LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 24.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,950 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,264 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's 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 transaction, 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 insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.4%

Ecolab stock opened at $255.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $72.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.04 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $275.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.28.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

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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