Bailard Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Bailard Inc. lessened its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 37.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,171 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,857,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of ECL opened at $249.58 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $248.60 and a 1 year high of $309.27. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $268.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $272.25.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

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.