ING Groep NV Lowers Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

ING Groep NV trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 53.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 32,999 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 37,202 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $9,037,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth about $847,544,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 115.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $193,753,000 after buying an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in Ecolab by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after buying an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,662,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,644,987,000 after acquiring an additional 250,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 49.7% during the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 741,253 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $199,723,000 after acquiring an additional 246,237 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.2%

Ecolab stock opened at $303.18 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $272.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.14. The company has a market capitalization of $85.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.08. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $304.30.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. 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 research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.80.

Key Stories Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and margin improvement: Ecolab reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $2.08 (beat) with margin expansion and revenue up ~4.8% y/y, giving the quarter a broadly positive read on profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Above‑consensus FY‑2026 guidance: Management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63 and Q1 EPS of $1.67–$1.73, with revenue guidance roughly $17.2–$17.5B — guidance framed as conservative but implies continued margin-driven earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat earnings call / confident 2026 outlook: Management commentary emphasized accelerating growth drivers (water, pest, life‑sciences) and margin leverage heading into 2026. The tone helped underpin investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price‑target raises: Jefferies raised its PT to $352 (buy), RBC to $337 (outperform) and Wells Fargo to $310 — these uplifts and buy/outperform stances support further upside potential. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and comparisons: Industry writeups and a head‑to‑head review vs. Toray outline competitive positioning and long‑term drivers but are not near‑term catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Pre‑market weakness/uneven investor reaction: Some outlets noted the stock dipped in pre‑market trading despite the beat — investors are parsing revenue mix and near‑term volume recovery, producing mixed sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan keeps a neutral rating and a $295 target: Although JPMorgan raised its target from $265 to $295, it remains neutral and the $295 target is below current levels — a signal that not all sell‑side views are unequivocally bullish. Read More.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% 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 bought 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.