Ecolab Inc. $ECL Holdings Trimmed by Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd.

Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd. reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 19.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,627 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,652 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 3.8% of Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $11,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,224,929.30. This represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $254.07 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $272.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.98. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.04 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $71.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

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.