KBC Group NV Reduces Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

KBC Group NV reduced its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 709,949 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 25,898 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $186,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Adelphi Trust Co purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $532,000. LBP AM SA raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 100,461 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,373,000 after buying an additional 19,064 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,865,000 after buying an additional 2,694 shares during the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,642 shares during the period. Finally, Cove Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $270.39 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $282.15 and its 200 day moving average is $273.74. The firm has a market cap of $76.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.39 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.