Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 572,047 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 19,623 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $152,176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 3.3% during the first quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 2,267 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Cvfg LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $207,000. Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 38.2% during the 1st quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $483,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $466,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at $598,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $273.05 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $76.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.95, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $263.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.29.

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.