Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Raiffeisen Bank International AG

Raiffeisen Bank International AG decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 179,373 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,403 shares during the quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $49,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ECL opened at $278.83 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $278.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.13.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

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.