Barclays PLC Sells 106,551 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Barclays PLC trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 755,898 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 106,551 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.27% of Ecolab worth $207,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $349,000. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $218,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $282.91 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.97. 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 50 day simple moving average is $285.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued 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 company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. 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, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.