Hikari Power Ltd Sells 2,800 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Hikari Power Ltd reduced its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 75.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 910 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,800 shares during the period. Hikari Power Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America upped their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $274.29 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.12, a PEG ratio of 2.43 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $263.13 and its 200-day moving average is $272.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

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.