Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lessened its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 37,507 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,635 shares during the quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,272,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $286.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $80.72 billion, a PE ratio of 39.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month 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. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $285.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.68.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

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.