Savant Capital LLC Reduces Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its Ecolab stake by 75.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,969 shares and leaving it with 4,906 shares worth about $1.288 million.
• Despite that reduction, institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding about 74.91% of Ecolab’s stock. Several firms increased positions, including Brighton Jones and CIBC Asset Management.
• Ecolab reported Q1 earnings of $1.70 per share, matching estimates, on revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share and maintained its FY2026 guidance range of $8.43 to $8.63 EPS.

Savant Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 75.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,906 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 14,969 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 2.1%

ECL stock opened at $250.69 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $70.56 billion, a PE ratio of 33.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50 day moving average of $261.78 and a 200 day moving average of $271.42.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

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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