Ecolab Inc. $ECL is Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s 10th Largest Position

Aristotle Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,708,479 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 180,093 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 2.1% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Aristotle Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.32% of Ecolab worth $986,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $86,670,000 after buying an additional 68,062 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 1,167.3% in the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 39,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,466,000 after acquiring an additional 36,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,571,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $268.73 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.12. The firm has a market cap of $75.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.89.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.Ecolab’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. UBS Group upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.06.

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.