Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Suzanne Vautrinot Sells 1,004 Shares

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director Suzanne Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL traded up $8.94 on Wednesday, hitting $263.17. The company had a trading volume of 2,597,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,461,597. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $262.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.41. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued 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 business had revenue of $4.07 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior 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, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

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.