Christophe Beck Sells 17,862 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL traded down $4.89 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $280.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,846,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,484,195. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $275.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.68. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

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.