Impax Asset Management Group plc Acquires 105,092 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Impax Asset Management increased its stake in Ecolab by 16.9% in Q4, adding 105,092 shares to hold 725,432 shares (about $190.44M), making Ecolab roughly 1.2% of Impax’s portfolio and its 24th-largest position.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for ~$6.15M (an 18.05% reduction) and Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares for ~$390K (a 10.02% reduction).
• Analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $322.82 target; Ecolab posted a small EPS beat, set FY2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63, and pays a $0.73 quarterly dividend (≈1.1% yield).

Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 725,432 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 105,092 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up about 1.2% of Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned approximately 0.26% of Ecolab worth $190,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sava Infond d.o.o. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 1,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 1,853 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,159 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 2,533 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,582 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note 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 on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company's 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 owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $269.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm's 50 day moving average is $278.81 and its 200 day moving average is $273.61. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $235.93 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for 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%. Ecolab's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

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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