Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Grows Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,268 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,353 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $22,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 25.8% in the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,254,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 162.4% during the 3rd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,000 after buying an additional 3,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $163,744,000 after acquiring an additional 9,837 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $304.07 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $86.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $278.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $306.52.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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.