Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Sells 286,845 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management cut its Ecolab stake by 32.6%, selling 286,845 shares and reducing its holding to 591,984 shares (about 0.21% of the company) valued at roughly $155.4 million.
• CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for about $6.15 million and a director sold 1,265 shares, leaving insiders with approximately 0.50% ownership.
• Ecolab reported Q4 EPS of $2.08 (beating estimates by $0.01), set FY 2026 guidance of $8.430–8.630 EPS, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (annualized $2.92, ~1.1% yield).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 32.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 591,984 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 286,845 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.21% of Ecolab worth $155,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 22.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,684,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Ecolab by 49.4% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,741,000 after buying an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $273.59 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.27 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $228.73 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $282.86 and a 200-day moving average of $273.65.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 40.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.38.

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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