Strs Ohio Buys 19,923 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Strs Ohio boosted its stake in Ecolab by 33.9%, buying 19,923 shares to hold 78,744 shares worth about $20.67 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Institutional ownership is high—74.91% of Ecolab is held by institutions, with Vanguard owning 25.33 million shares and other large holders (Pictet, Legal & General, Nordea, Capital Research) also increasing positions.
• Company insiders recently sold stock: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for roughly $6.15 million (an 18.05% reduction) and a director sold 1,265 shares; insiders now own about 0.50% of the company.

Strs Ohio lifted its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 33.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,744 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 19,923 shares during the period. Strs Ohio's holdings in Ecolab were worth $20,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,013,557,000 after buying an additional 202,449 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Ecolab by 3.0% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $591,535,000 after purchasing an additional 63,629 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Ecolab by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,718,633 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $453,857,000 after purchasing an additional 65,836 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,415,887 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $387,748,000 after purchasing an additional 11,661 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $259.80 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.04 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $73.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $275.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.28.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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