Ecolab Inc. $ECL Holdings Boosted by DNB Asset Management AS

DNB Asset Management AS raised its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 298,584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,752 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS owned 0.11% of Ecolab worth $81,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 23.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,107 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,109,000 after buying an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,522 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $306.42 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 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 company has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $281.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. On average, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab 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.