First Trust Advisors LP Sells 105,857 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 9.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,009,396 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 105,857 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $268,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Citigroup raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.06.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE ECL opened at $267.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $265.91 and a 200-day moving average of $273.15.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.