Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Increases Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,733 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $9,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $283.17 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $262.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $272.33. The firm has a market cap of $79.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.Ecolab’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. 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 research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

About Ecolab

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.