Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 67.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 945 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $269.92 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $235.93 and a one year high of $309.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $278.81 and a 200-day moving average of $273.52. The company has a market capitalization of $76.23 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 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.