Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Cuts Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its Ecolab stake by 93.7% in the second quarter, selling 161,879 shares and retaining 10,920 shares valued at approximately $3.04 million.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $2.09, slightly above estimates, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.42 billion. The company guided for third-quarter 2026 EPS of $2.13–$2.23.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to a $2.92 annualized payout and a 1.1% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $327.56, above the reported $276.45 share price.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 93.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,920 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 161,879 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $24,810,000 after acquiring an additional 941,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Ecolab by 58.8% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $596,902,000 after acquiring an additional 830,726 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $276.45 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $77.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.11, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.88. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $274.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. 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 report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

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.

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