Christophe Beck Sells 20,000 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $306.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $281.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.97. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Institutional Trading of Ecolab

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

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.