Key Points
- Ecolab director Suzanne Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares on May 27 at an average price of $264.98, reducing her stake by 7.93% to 11,651 shares worth about $3.09 million.
- Ecolab shares were trading up 3.5% around $263.17, with the company carrying a $74.07 billion market cap and a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61.
- The company recently met earnings expectations and reaffirmed growth outlook, reporting Q1 EPS of $1.70 on revenue of $4.07 billion, and setting FY 2026 guidance at $8.43 to $8.63 EPS.
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) Director Suzanne Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business'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 value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Ecolab Trading Up 3.5%
NYSE ECL opened at $263.17 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $74.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $262.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.51%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.53.
Read Our Latest Report on ECL
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.
Further Reading
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