Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 2,036 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 34.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,003 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,036 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $254.07 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $249.04 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $71.51 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $272.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $272.98.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.