RFG Advisory LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

RFG Advisory LLC decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 33.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,128 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,044 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $254.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $249.04 and a one year high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $71.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $272.98.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. 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, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.