RFG Advisory LLC Sells 2,044 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

RFG Advisory LLC trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 33.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,128 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,044 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,084,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on ECL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $254.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $71.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 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. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $249.04 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $272.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.98.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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.