Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC Sells 2,635 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,507 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,635 shares during the quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 93.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 3.9%

NYSE ECL opened at $286.26 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $285.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $80.72 billion, a PE ratio of 39.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. Ecolab’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

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.