KBC Group NV Lowers Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its Ecolab stake by 25% in the first quarter, selling 177,786 shares and leaving it with 532,163 shares valued at about $141.6 million.
• Insider trading was mixed: Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold shares, while Director Michel D. Doukeris made a large purchase. Overall, insiders bought a net 10,550 shares worth about $2.72 million over the past 90 days.
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, on revenue of $4.07 billion, and the company raised its FY 2026 guidance to $8.43–$8.63 EPS. Analysts remain mostly bullish, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $324.06.

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 25.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 532,163 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 177,786 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.19% of Ecolab worth $141,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Ecolab by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,394,000 after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 1,167.3% in the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 39,869 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,466,000 after purchasing an additional 36,723 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $272.91 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $264.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.08.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue 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, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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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