Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) COO Darrell Brown Sells 10,000 Shares

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Ecolab Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of ECL opened at $256.72 on Thursday. 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 one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $261.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.33.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.41.

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.