Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 34,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,733 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $9,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in Ecolab by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,394,000 after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.9% in the third quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 289,572 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,302,000 after purchasing an additional 10,792 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $283.17 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $262.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.33. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month 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 has a market capitalization of $79.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.32, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company’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. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.