Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Raises Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management sharply increased its Ecolab stake in Q1, lifting holdings by 1,285.3% to 172,799 shares worth about $46 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares, while COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares. Overall, insiders bought 10,550 shares over the last 90 days.
• Analysts remain constructive on Ecolab, with multiple firms raising ratings and price targets; the stock now carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target of $323.71.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1,285.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 172,799 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 160,325 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab worth $45,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $281.47 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $79.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.09, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $261.42 and a 200 day moving average of $271.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

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.

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