Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Ecolab by 10.1% to 844,999 shares (about $231.4M), contributing to institutional ownership of roughly 74.91% of the company.
• Ecolab reported Q results with EPS $2.08 (beat by $0.01) and set FY 2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS, while analysts' consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $323.56.
• The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share (ex-dividend date March 17, payout April 15), and insiders showed mixed activity: Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares while Director Tracy B. McKibben sold 1,265 shares.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 10.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 844,999 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,390 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.30% of Ecolab worth $231,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,898,565,000 after buying an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,479,529 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,469,019,000 after acquiring an additional 22,986 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $847,544,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,610,791 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $703,452,000 after acquiring an additional 90,005 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Ecolab by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,497,626 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $674,497,000 after acquiring an additional 205,634 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company'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 completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $282.91 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company's 50 day moving average is $285.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.63. The company has a market cap of $79.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. 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 predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.56.

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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