Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Sells 24,836 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA slashed its Ecolab position by 77.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,836 shares and leaving it with 7,197 shares valued at about $1.89 million.
• Ecolab reported quarterly earnings of $1.70 per share, matching estimates, while revenue of $4.07 billion slightly beat expectations and rose 10% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share payable July 15, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $322.53.

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA cut its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 77.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,197 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 24,836 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Ecolab by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $86,670,000 after buying an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% in 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. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 20.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions boosted its stake in Ecolab by 19.9% in the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $22,834,000 after purchasing an additional 13,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 162.4% in the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,469,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE ECL opened at $254.07 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $272.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.98. The company has a market capitalization of $71.51 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.04 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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 $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on ECL shares. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate 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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