Ecolab director exercises options, sells 1,004 shares
ECOLAB INC. director Suzanne M. Vautrin reported a set of equity transactions involving company common stock.
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Form Type
4
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
ECOLAB INC. director Suzanne M. Vautrin reported a set of equity transactions involving company common stock. She exercised a stock option for 2,000 shares at $125.665 per share, then had 996 shares withheld to cover the exercise price and related tax obligations, as described in the footnotes.
After that, she completed an open-market sale of 1,004 shares of common stock at an average price of $264.98 per share. Following these transactions, she directly holds 11,651.22 shares of Ecolab common stock, and the exercised option was fully used with no remaining derivative position from that grant.
Insider Trade Summary
Exercise and sale activity reported; no spread calculated
Exercise and Sale
4 txns
Insider
Vautrinot Suzanne M
Role
Director
Sold
1,004 shs ($266K)
Approx. gross sale proceeds
$266K
Approx. exercise cost
$251K
| Type | Security | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale | Common Stock | 1,004 | $264.98 | $266K |
| Exercise | Non-Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy) | 2,000 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Common Stock | 2,000 | $125.665 | $251K |
| Exercise Price or Tax Liability | Common Stock | 996 | $252.267 | $251K |
Holdings After Transaction:
Non-Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy) — 0 contracts (Direct);
Common Stock — 11,651.22 shares (Direct)
Footnotes (2)
- F1. Reflects the reporting person's payment of the exercise price for a stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3 by delivering or withholding shares of Ecolab common stock.
- F2. The option became exercisable, on a cumulative basis, as to 25% of the option shares (excluding any fractional portion less than one share), on the last day of each of the first, second and third three-month periods following its date of grant and as to the remaining shares on the last day of the fourth three-month period following its date of grant. The date listed in the Date Exercisable column represents the first vesting date.
Key Figures
Open-market sale: 1,004 shares at $264.98
Options exercised: 2,000 shares at $125.665
Tax-withholding shares: 996 shares
+3 more
6 metrics
Open-market sale
1,004 shares at $264.98
Common Stock sale on 2026-05-27
Options exercised
2,000 shares at $125.665
Non-Employee Stock Option exercise on 2026-05-22
Tax-withholding shares
996 shares
Disposition to cover exercise price/taxes on 2026-05-22
Shares held after transactions
11,651.22 shares
Direct Ecolab common stock holdings post-transaction
Option grant exercise price
$125.665 per share
Non-Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)
Option expiration date
2027-05-04
Original expiration for exercised option grant
Key Terms
open-market sale, tax-withholding disposition, Non-Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy), Rule 16b-3
4 terms
open-market sale financial
"transaction_action: "open-market sale" for 1,004 common shares"
An open-market sale is when a shareholder sells existing shares directly on a public exchange to any willing buyer, rather than through a private deal. Think of it like putting goods on a busy market stall where price is set by supply and demand; for investors it matters because such sales increase available supply, can put short-term downward pressure on the stock price, and signal changes in liquidity or investor confidence.
tax-withholding disposition financial
"transaction_action: "tax-withholding disposition" for 996 shares"
A tax-withholding disposition is an event or transaction—such as selling or transferring securities, exercising options, or receiving compensation—that triggers a requirement to hold back part of the payment and remit it to tax authorities. It matters to investors because it reduces the cash they receive immediately and can change the timing and amount of taxable income, like a cashier taking a portion of your sale proceeds to pay taxes before you get the rest.
Non-Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy) financial
"security_title: "Non-Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)" on 2,000 shares"
Rule 16b-3 regulatory
"stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3"
Rule 16b-3 is a Securities and Exchange Commission regulation that exempts certain routine, pre-approved transactions by company insiders from automatic liability for short-term trading profits. It acts like a safe harbor: if an insider follows a formal plan or the board approves specific transactions in advance, profits from buying and selling company stock within six months are not automatically reclaimed. Investors care because the rule clarifies when insider trades are permissible and reduces uncertainty about potential clawbacks.
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
What insider transactions did Ecolab (ECL) director Suzanne M. Vautrin report?
Suzanne M. Vautrin exercised options for 2,000 Ecolab common shares, had 996 shares withheld to cover the exercise price and taxes, and sold 1,004 shares in an open-market transaction. After these moves, she directly holds 11,651.22 Ecolab shares.
What options did the Ecolab (ECL) director exercise in this Form 4 filing?
She exercised a Non-Employee Stock Option covering 2,000 shares of Ecolab common stock at an exercise price of $125.665 per share. The option, granted under Rule 16b-3, became fully exercisable through staged vesting and was fully used in this transaction.
What is the role of tax withholding in the Ecolab (ECL) director’s Form 4?
A separate transaction labeled with code F shows 996 shares disposed of to pay the stock option’s exercise price or related tax liabilities. This tax-withholding disposition is not an open-market sale and is a mechanism to satisfy obligations tied to the option exercise.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
