CSM Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

CSM Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 920.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 8,856 shares during the quarter. CSM Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 64.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% during the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,834,000 after purchasing an additional 13,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 162.4% in the 3rd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,000 after buying an additional 3,320 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.3%

ECL stock opened at $273.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $287.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.41.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab’s revenue 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. Equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid 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 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.71.

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.