Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 97.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 504,943 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 164.7% during 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 during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the second 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. raised its stake 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 during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.8% during the second quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,228,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 9.9% in the second quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $260.82 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.66 billion, a PE ratio of 35.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $285.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ECL. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.