Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Decreases Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 97.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 504,943 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Group Ltd increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% during the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% in the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $260.82 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $73.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.83, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $285.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

About Ecolab

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.