Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Tracy Mckibben Sells 1,265 Shares

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director Tracy Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.0%

ECL traded down $0.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $306.42. 1,187,912 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,261,190. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $281.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,107 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 48.1% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $780,000 after acquiring an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.