Legal & General Group Plc Sells 77,565 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Legal & General Group Plc cut its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,082,424 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 77,565 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $546,678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Ecolab by 195.9% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,699,000 after purchasing an additional 444,053 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $113,287,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Ecolab by 594.6% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $129,560,000 after purchasing an additional 422,471 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 115.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after purchasing an additional 389,981 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the director directly 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $253.33 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $71.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $262.90 and its 200 day moving average is $271.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last 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 predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.65.

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.