Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 59.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 114,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 168,985 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $30,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $268.83 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market cap of $75.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s 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 owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.41.

About Ecolab

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.