Andra AP fonden Has $26.30 Million Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Andra AP fonden lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,845 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,155 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,295,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.06.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $268.02 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.43 billion, a PE ratio of 36.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $265.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.11.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

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.