APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 2,360 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

APG Asset Management N.V. lessened its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 708,186 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,360 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. owned 0.25% of Ecolab worth $193,944,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 81.5% during the second 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 during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% in 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 during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase 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 shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $308.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $86.86 billion, a PE ratio of 42.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $282.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.20.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its 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 return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab’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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

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.