Key Points
- Ecolab CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares at an average price of $280.14, generating approximately $5.00 million. His direct ownership fell 19.67% to 72,932 shares.
- Ecolab’s latest quarterly results modestly exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.09 versus a $2.08 consensus and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year. The company guided for third-quarter 2026 EPS of $2.13–$2.23.
- Analysts remain broadly positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $327.56. Ecolab also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to a 1.0% annualized yield.
Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.
Ecolab Stock Performance
ECL stock opened at $280.73 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $276.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on ECL
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ecolab
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $880,506,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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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