Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Capital Research Global Investors

Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,415,887 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,661 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.50% of Ecolab worth $387,748,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $281.97 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $286.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.54. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $79.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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