Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Carnegie Investment Counsel cut its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 138,626 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 8,798 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $36,392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.38.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $273.59 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. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $282.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.59. The firm has a market cap of $77.27 billion, a PE ratio of 37.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.02. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $228.73 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% 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 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.