Haven Capital Group Inc. Has $3.20 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Haven Capital Group Inc. decreased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 24.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,683 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,745 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for about 2.8% of Haven Capital Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Haven Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after buying an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $68,465,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased 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 $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report 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 given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $297.73 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $284.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.59. The firm has a market cap of $83.95 billion, a PE ratio of 40.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

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.