Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stake Raised by Sustainable Growth Advisers LP

Key Points

• Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its Ecolab stake by 26.4% in the third quarter, adding 245,263 shares to own 1.17 million shares valued at approximately $322.1 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 74.91% of Ecolab’s stock.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $2.09, slightly ahead of estimates, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year to $4.42 billion. The company issued third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $2.13–$2.23.
• Ecolab shares opened at $290.67, versus a 12-month range of $243.15–$309.27, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $324.50. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, yielding about 1.0%.

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 26.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,173,054 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 245,263 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 3.5% of Sustainable Growth Advisers LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP owned about 0.42% of Ecolab worth $322,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,613 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,816,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,677 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $735,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,193 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,426,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 2.1% in the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 16,888 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,581,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Ecolab by 948.7% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 114,521 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,445,000 after acquiring an additional 103,601 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $290.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $279.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.48 billion, a PE ratio of 36.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $324.50.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc NYSE: ECL is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and related services. The company helps businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations through specialized products, technologies, equipment and on-site expertise.

Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing solutions, water treatment and process-management systems, food safety programs, infection prevention products, pest elimination services and solutions for industrial operations. Ecolab serves customers in industries including hospitality, healthcare, food and beverage production, life sciences, manufacturing, energy, retail and institutional services.

The company was founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory and adopted the Ecolab name in 1986.

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