Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.9% in Q4 to 169,788 shares (about 0.06% of the company), valued at roughly $44.57 million, and institutions now own about 74.91% of the stock.
• Ecolab reported $1.70 EPS (in line with estimates) and $4.07 billion in revenue (up 10% YoY), and provided FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS with Q2 guidance of 2.020–2.120 EPS (analysts expect ~8.51 EPS).
• Analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $322.53 target amid several price-target upgrades (e.g., BofA to $345, Jefferies to $352) and a downgrade by UBS to $293, while CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares in February.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 169,788 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,824 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab worth $44,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Down 2.6%

ECL opened at $256.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $272.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.98. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $249.04 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company 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. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were given 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 was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.