111 Capital Takes $479,000 Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

111 Capital bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $6,898,565,000 after buying an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, Bornite Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $68,465,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $298.18 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $284.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.43. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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 $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab 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 transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note 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 research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Company 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.