New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Sells 13,197 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 20.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 50,263 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 13,197 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 0.6% of New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $13,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 2.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Ecolab by 195.9% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $113,287,000. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 594.6% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $129,560,000 after buying an additional 422,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $253.33 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $263.35 and its 200 day moving average is $271.48. The firm has a market cap of $71.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.28, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America upped their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.65.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.