Diversified Trust Co. Reduces Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Diversified Trust Co. lessened its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 53.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,938 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,443 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $264.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $74.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.28, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $285.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.78.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

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.