Citigroup Inc. Cuts Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Citigroup Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 222,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 22,998 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.08% of Ecolab worth $60,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted 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 in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 93.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $305.39 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $279.24 and a 200 day moving average of $273.27. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $306.52. The company has a market cap of $86.50 billion, a PE ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous 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 research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.