ProShare Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC reduced its Ecolab stake by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 43,422 shares and leaving it with 623,873 shares valued at about $163.8 million.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.70 matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion topping forecasts; revenue rose 10% year over year, and the company also issued FY 2026 guidance of $8.43 to $8.63 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, representing an annualized yield of 1.2%, while analyst sentiment remains broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

ProShare Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 623,873 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 43,422 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.22% of Ecolab worth $163,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 88.7% during the third 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 period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $249.17 on Tuesday. 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 1-year low of $245.25 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $265.87 and a 200-day moving average of $271.69. The firm has a market cap of $70.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab's quarterly revenue 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

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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