KBC Group NV Sells 25,898 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• KBC Group NV reduced its stake in Ecolab by 3.5% in Q4, selling 25,898 shares and leaving it with 709,949 shares (about a 0.25% stake) valued at roughly $186.4 million.
• Company insiders also sold shares: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at an average $307.37 for about $6.15 million (an 18.05% reduction in his position), and a director sold 1,265 shares.
• Ecolab slightly beat EPS expectations ($2.08 vs. $2.07) while revenue missed ($4.19B vs. $4.20B), set FY2026 guidance at $8.43–$8.63 EPS, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (annualized yield ~1.1%).

KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 709,949 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 25,898 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.25% of Ecolab worth $186,376,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. UBS Group cut their price target on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $321.44.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.0%

Ecolab stock opened at $270.39 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.39 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $282.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.74. The stock has a market cap of $76.36 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm 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. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% 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.

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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