Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 37.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,776 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,728 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:ECL opened at $308.06 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $86.86 billion, a PE ratio of 42.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $282.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.14.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

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.