2,027 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Adelphi Trust Co

Adelphi Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,027 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $532,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 64.5% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,254,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares during the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,834,000 after buying an additional 13,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 45,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,459,000 after buying an additional 13,053 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:ECL opened at $270.39 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $282.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.74. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.39 and a 12 month high of $309.27. 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 stock has a market cap of $76.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.19 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.44.

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.