Key Points
- Ecolab director Tracy Mckibben sold 1,265 shares on Feb 25 for $308.66 each, totaling $390,454.90, reducing her stake by 10.02% to 11,358 shares (≈$3.51M).
- The company slightly beat quarterly EPS expectations ($2.08 vs. $2.07), reported $4.20B in revenue, and set FY2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS with Q1 guidance of $1.67–$1.73.
- Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (annualized $2.92) with an ex-dividend date of March 17 and a yield of about 1.0%.
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director Tracy Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Ecolab Stock Down 0.0%
ECL stock opened at $306.42 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $281.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.97. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.56.
View Our Latest Research Report on Ecolab
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $240,676,000 after buying an additional 344,541 shares in the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 25.8% in the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $19,773,000 after acquiring an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Ecolab by 20.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 162.4% during the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,469,000 after purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1.7% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $163,744,000 after purchasing an additional 9,837 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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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