Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 2,692 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 15.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,692 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $268.02 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.11. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $75.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.27, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous 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. On average, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired 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 represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday. Citigroup raised their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.06.

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.