Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 37,711 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,613,205 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 37,711 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $686,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Pekao Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $257.41 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.35. 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 company has a market capitalization of $72.44 billion, a PE ratio of 34.83, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior 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. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup cut their price target on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.