Wellington Management Group LLP Cuts Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 13.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 108,965 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 17,115 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $30,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its position in Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $16,698,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,641,000 after acquiring an additional 4,886 shares during the period. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $2,245,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Benjamin Clark bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $279.91 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $78.47 billion, a PE ratio of 37.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $278.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.17.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

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.