Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 5,336 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its Ecolab stake by 43.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,336 shares and leaving it with 6,931 shares worth about $1.82 million.
• Ecolab’s latest earnings matched Wall Street expectations, with Q1 EPS of $1.70 and revenue of $4.07 billion, up 10% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $322.53.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 43.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,931 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,336 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% during the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $22,834,000 after acquiring an additional 13,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 162.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $251.00 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.04 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $270.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $272.60. The company has a market capitalization of $70.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.96, a PEG ratio of 2.10 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The firm'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. Research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ECL. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Profile

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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