Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,655 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $37,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after buying an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $244,381,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after buying an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $287.06 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $278.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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.