Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 31.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,106 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 19,985 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $11,733,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $268.73 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $266.62 and a 200-day moving average of $273.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. 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.