Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Position Cut by Mirova

Mirova trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 156,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,361 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for 6.1% of Mirova’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Mirova’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $42,805,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $261.93 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $287.20 and a 200 day moving average of $274.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of several research reports. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.24.

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.