Capital Research Global Investors Has $348.95 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Capital Research Global Investors trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,329,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 86,731 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $348,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Sarl acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $28,176,000. Capital International Ltd. CA acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $16,372,000. Capital International Inc. CA acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $14,084,000. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Ecolab by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 762,319 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $200,124,000 after buying an additional 4,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $3,568,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

ECL stock opened at $258.60 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $261.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.34.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Ecolab 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.