Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Holdings Increased by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Key Points

• Institutional ownership rose as Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its Ecolab stake by 29.4% in the fourth quarter, while several other large funds also added to positions. Overall, institutional investors now own 74.91% of the stock.
• Ecolab posted solid quarterly results, with earnings per share of $1.70 matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion topping forecasts. Revenue climbed 10% year over year, and the company reiterated guidance for future periods.
• Shares were under pressure and insider activity was mixed, with the stock down 1.0% and trading near $254.07. Director David Maclennan bought shares, while CEO Christophe Beck previously sold a larger block of stock.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 29.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,886 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,013,557,000 after buying an additional 202,449 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Ecolab by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $591,535,000 after buying an additional 63,629 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Ecolab by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,718,633 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $453,857,000 after acquiring an additional 65,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,415,887 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $387,748,000 after acquiring an additional 11,661 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $254.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 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. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $249.04 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm's 50-day moving average is $272.95 and its 200-day moving average is $272.98.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group cut their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.