Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd cut its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 93.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 264 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,580 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $69,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on ECL. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:ECL opened at $258.60 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $72.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a fifty day moving average of $261.26 and a 200-day moving average of $271.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

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.