Royal Bank of Canada Sells 32,174 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,496,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 32,174 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned approximately 1.24% of Ecolab worth $930,253,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 0.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,684,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in Ecolab by 49.4% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after buying an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.09, ahead of the $2.08 consensus estimate and up 11% year over year. Revenue rose 10% to approximately $4.4 billion, exceeding expectations, while organic sales growth accelerated to 5%. Ecolab Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.05-$8.25, representing expected growth of 7% to 10%. Strong demand in high-tech and life sciences, along with better pricing and productivity, supported the improved outlook. Ecolab Raises 2026 Adjusted EPS Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Operating income increased 7%, and analysts responded favorably: William Blair reiterated a Buy rating, citing the earnings beat, higher guidance and accelerating margin recovery. Analyst Reiterates Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab detailed a strategic restructuring plan, which could improve efficiency over time but may involve execution risks or near-term costs. Ecolab Reports Q2 Earnings and Strategic Restructuring Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.13-$2.23 was below the $2.27 analyst consensus, limiting the upside reaction and signaling that near-term earnings may be more moderate than expected.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $283.49 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. 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 capitalization of $79.79 billion, a PE ratio of 38.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $267.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.30.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.39 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 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

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.