Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Purchases 4,600 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Ecolab by 7.1% in the quarter, buying an additional 4,600 shares to hold 68,940 shares worth about $18.10 million, and institutional investors now own 74.91% of the stock.
• Ecolab reported EPS of $1.70 (meeting estimates) and revenue of $4.07 billion (up 10% year-over-year), set FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS (Q2 guide 2.020–2.120), and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $322.53.
• Insiders have been selling: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at an average $307.37, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (annualized yield ~1.1%, DPR ~39.5%).

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,940 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $255.78 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.04 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $275.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $72.24 billion, a PE ratio of 34.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 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 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% 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.

Ecolab Company 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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