American Century Companies Inc. Has $377.40 Million Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,378,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,665 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.49% of Ecolab worth $377,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $308.06 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $282.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $86.86 billion, a PE ratio of 42.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. 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 research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

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.