BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Sells 9,681 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. decreased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,824 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 9,681 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.4% of BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $32,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on ECL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.2%

ECL opened at $282.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $285.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.76, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Ecolab 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.