Ethic Inc. Buys 5,221 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its Ecolab stake by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,221 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 41,132 shares valued at about $10.8 million.
• Insiders sold shares recently, including CEO Christophe Beck and Director Tracy B. Mckibben, while institutional investors still own 74.91% of the company.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results with EPS matching estimates at $1.70 and revenue slightly above forecasts, and it also reaffirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share.

Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,132 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,221 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% in the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% in the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kampmann Melissa S. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 13,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,746,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other 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 value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $254.07 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $249.04 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $71.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $272.95 and its two-hundred day simple 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 for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $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. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Company 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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