Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Sells 4,000 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Factory Mutual Insurance Co. reduced its stake in Ecolab by 3.9% in Q4, selling 4,000 shares and ending the quarter with 97,400 shares valued at $25.57 million.
• Insider selling: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for about $6.15 million and Director Tracy B. McKibben sold 1,265 shares, leaving company insiders with roughly 0.50% ownership.
• Operational update: Ecolab reported Q results of $2.08 EPS (beat by $0.01) on $4.19 billion revenue, issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63, and declared a $0.73 quarterly dividend (1.1% yield; ex-dividend March 17).

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 97,400 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $25,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on ECL. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.38.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $273.59 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $282.86 and a 200-day moving average of $273.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $228.73 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $77.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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%.

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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