Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Increases Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 228.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,016 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,183 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 0.8% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 64.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares during the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,254,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares during the period. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 162.4% in the 3rd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,000 after buying an additional 3,320 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its position in Ecolab by 1.7% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $163,744,000 after acquiring an additional 9,837 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $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 this hyperlink. Also, 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 trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of ECL opened at $306.42 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid 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 yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.