Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 337,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,347 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Ecolab worth $89,781,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $270.03 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The business has a fifty day moving average of $264.21 and a 200-day moving average of $272.96. The stock has a market cap of $76.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. 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, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Ecolab 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.