Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Acquires 4,183 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 228.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,016 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,183 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 0.8% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 0.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,479,529 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,019,000 after buying an additional 22,986 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $847,544,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its position in Ecolab by 3.6% during the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,610,791 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $703,452,000 after acquiring an additional 90,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 2,497,626 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $674,497,000 after acquiring an additional 205,634 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:ECL opened at $306.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $281.95 and a 200 day moving average of $273.97. The firm has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a PE ratio of 42.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The company’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, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

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.