Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Position Lessened by Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA

Key Points

• Mcdonald Capital Investors trimmed its stake in Ecolab by 4.0% in Q4, selling 12,441 shares and now holds 296,522 shares (~$77.8M), making Ecolab its 10th-largest holding.
• Insiders sold shares recently: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for about $6.15M and director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares, leaving insiders with roughly 0.50% ownership.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $4.07B (up 10% YoY), issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–8.63, trades around $256.65 (down 3.9%), and carries a $2.92 annual dividend (yield ~1.1%) with analysts holding a "Moderate Buy" consensus and $322.82 target.

Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 296,522 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 12,441 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises approximately 4.8% of Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Mcdonald Capital Investors Inc. CA owned 0.10% of Ecolab worth $77,843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $240,676,000 after buying an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 25.8% during the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $19,773,000 after acquiring an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $18,254,000 after acquiring an additional 11,322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its holdings in Ecolab by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $22,834,000 after acquiring an additional 13,840 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.82.

Ecolab Trading Down 3.9%

Ecolab stock opened at $256.65 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.79 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.48 billion, a PE ratio of 35.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $276.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued 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 dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

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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