Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Director Tracy Mckibben Sells 1,265 Shares of Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Director Tracy Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE ECL opened at $306.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.09, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $281.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position 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 valued at $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $880,506,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 104.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 813,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,413,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $370,967,000 after purchasing an additional 557,555 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.