Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 112,751 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 11,115 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $29,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Anchyra Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $575,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 209,979 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,124,000 after acquiring an additional 4,028 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 7,242 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,901,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,013,557,000 after purchasing an additional 202,449 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $256.65 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.79 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.48 billion, a PE ratio of 35.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $276.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.34.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Ecolab News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed revenue growth and solid operating momentum — reported revenue of ~$4.07B (above consensus) and adjusted EPS $1.70, with organic sales acceleration led by Life Sciences, Global High?Tech and other end markets. This supports the company’s growth narrative. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Life Sciences growth: Ecolab opened a new Bioprocessing Applications Lab in Dongtan, Korea — expanding its bioprocessing capabilities in Asia and strengthening long?term growth prospects in a high?growth end market. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company maintained FY2026 adjusted EPS outlook of $8.43–$8.63, signaling management confidence in hitting full?year targets despite near?term headwinds. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate event: Ecolab will webcast its virtual annual meeting May 7 (useful for governance watchers but unlikely to move the stock materially). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and screens picked Ecolab as a name with positive earnings momentum — a signal that some quant/earnings?beat models still favor the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 guidance came in mostly below consensus (Q2 EPS guide $2.02–2.12 vs. ~$2.11 consensus) and management flagged cost pressure related to geopolitical developments (reported coverage cited Iran?related cost impacts), which pressured sentiment. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction: Erste Group trimmed FY2026/27 EPS estimates slightly and retains a Hold — small cuts and a cautious tone add selling pressure after the print. (Analyst note referenced in coverage.)

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.