Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Ecolab worth $6,898,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in Ecolab by 64.5% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after buying an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 3,320 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $163,744,000 after purchasing an additional 9,837 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $298.90 on Tuesday. 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 twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $306.52. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $274.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.95. The stock has a market cap of $84.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ECL. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.06.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.