ABN Amro Investment Solutions Grows Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,809 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,430 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $24,364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Citigroup cut their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.65.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.3%

ECL opened at $248.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $70.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The business’s 50 day moving average is $264.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $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. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.