Westpac Banking Corp Sells 15,700 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Westpac Banking Corp cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 84.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,827 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 15,700 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,013,557,000 after acquiring an additional 202,449 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Ecolab by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $591,535,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of ECL opened at $255.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $261.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.34. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.