Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Sells 28,477 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Segall Bryant & Hamill cut its Ecolab stake by 27.8% in the first quarter, selling 28,477 shares and retaining 74,085 shares worth approximately $19.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.09 in EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, with revenue up 9.7% year over year. The company issued third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $2.13–$2.23.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56, compared with a recent share price of $277.83. Ecolab also maintains a $0.73 quarterly dividend, yielding about 1.1%.

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 27.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,085 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 28,477 shares during the quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $19,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake 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. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $1,571,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,641,000 after purchasing an additional 4,886 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of ECL opened at $277.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.46. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

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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