Jain Global LLC Decreases Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Jain Global LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 83.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 46,904 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 233,103 shares during the period. Jain Global LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $12,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $274.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $287.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’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. On average, 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.