Natural Investments LLC Reduces Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Natural Investments LLC decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 25.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,798 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,970 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 56,083 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,723,000 after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares in the last quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 39,784 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,444,000 after acquiring an additional 4,648 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $182,000. Finally, Third View Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $453,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.7%

ECL stock opened at $275.21 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.39 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $282.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. Equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the sale, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ECL. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.44.

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.