Sei Investments Co. Grows Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 635,765 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $174,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $275.64 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $286.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given 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 dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on ECL shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Ecolab 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.