Key Points
- CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares on Feb. 24 at an average of $307.37 for a total of $6,147,400, leaving him with 90,794 shares — an 18.05% reduction in his ownership.
- Earnings and guidance: Ecolab reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter (beating the $2.07 estimate) on $4.20B revenue and set FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS with Q1 guidance of 1.670–1.730 EPS.
- Analyst view: The stock carries a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $323.56, and several firms (including Jefferies) have increased price targets.
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Ecolab Price Performance
Shares of NYSE ECL traded down $2.36 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $304.16. 72,888 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,230,119. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The business's fifty day moving average price is $281.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.75. The company has a market cap of $85.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.86, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. 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, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $431,000. Ketron Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $307,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 24,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,401,000 after purchasing an additional 4,015 shares during the last quarter. Phillip James Consulting Co. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,819 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.56.
View Our Latest Research Report on Ecolab
About Ecolab
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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