J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Has $23.31 Million Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its Ecolab stake by 10.4% in the first quarter, selling 10,178 shares and leaving it with 87,763 shares valued at about $23.31 million.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, matching EPS expectations at $1.70 and posting revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year. The company also reaffirmed guidance, including FY 2026 EPS guidance of $8.43 to $8.63.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend and drew mixed insider activity: a $0.73 per-share dividend will be paid July 15, while an EVP bought shares and a director sold shares in recent transactions.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 87,763 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 10,178 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Ecolab were worth $23,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $274.60 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $263.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.85. 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 $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $77.28 billion, a PE ratio of 37.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.15 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $324.29.

Ecolab 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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