DNB Asset Management AS Buys 22,752 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 298,584 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,752 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $81,770,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ECL shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price 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, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:ECL opened at $306.42 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $281.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend 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.