Swedbank AB Cuts Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Swedbank AB trimmed its stake in Ecolab by 2.0% in Q4, selling 32,980 shares and now owning 1,628,340 shares worth about $427.47 million; overall hedge funds and institutional investors hold 74.91% of the stock.
• Insider activity: Director Tracy B. McKibben sold 1,265 shares at an average $308.66 (cutting her stake by 10.02%), while director David Maclennan bought 800 shares at $256.91, increasing his position by 3.41%.
• Analyst and results snapshot: Ecolab has a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $322.53 average price target after reporting Q1 EPS $1.70 (inline) and $4.07B revenue (+10%), and issuing FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63.

Swedbank AB decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,628,340 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 32,980 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.57% of Ecolab worth $427,472,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% during the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% during the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kampmann Melissa S. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 13,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,746,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

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 that occurred 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 sale, the director 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $257.63 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.04 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $274.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.16. The company has a market capitalization of $72.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.86, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given 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 payout ratio is presently 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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