Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab Sells 15,404 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 31.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,015 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 15,404 shares during the quarter. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $267.23 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $265.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.89.

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, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on ECL. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.