California Public Employees Retirement System Decreases Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 547,367 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 49,044 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $145,611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $272.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $264.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.03. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. 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 research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ECL. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.06.

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.