KBC Group NV Lowers Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 25.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 532,163 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 177,786 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $141,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.06.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $272.91 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $264.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company 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 firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

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.