Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Boosts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 58.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 830,726 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $596,902,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 22.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,684,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Ecolab by 49.4% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.3%

ECL opened at $263.54 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $266.20 and a 200 day moving average of $273.16. The company has a market cap of $74.17 billion, a PE ratio of 35.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.18 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.06.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.