Midwest Trust Co Has $33.71 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Midwest Trust Co grew its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 126,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,342 shares during the period. Midwest Trust Co’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $33,712,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,684,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,741,000 after buying an additional 19,324 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock traded up $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $274.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 649,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,563,529. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $263.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $272.81. The company has a market capitalization of $77.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.16, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.29.

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.