Congress Asset Management Co. Has $126.60 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Congress Asset Management Co. trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 482,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 8,478 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for 0.9% of Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Congress Asset Management Co. owned 0.17% of Ecolab worth $126,595,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $847,544,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,610,791 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $703,452,000 after buying an additional 90,005 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,497,626 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $674,497,000 after buying an additional 205,634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Ecolab by 3.0% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $591,535,000 after buying an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on ECL. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $325.50.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $261.68 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $73.78 billion, a PE ratio of 35.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $286.44 and its 200-day moving average is $273.95.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results 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 $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.