J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Has $23.31 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 10.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,763 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,178 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $23,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in Ecolab by 26,152.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $24,810,000 after purchasing an additional 941,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 104.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,591,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $417,747,000 after buying an additional 813,996 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on ECL. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.29.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE ECL opened at $274.60 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $263.62 and its 200-day moving average is $272.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.16, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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