Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $144.90 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its Ecolab stake by 5.4% to 551,706 shares, worth about $144.9 million (roughly 0.19% of the company) at the end of the quarter.
• Insider activity shows a mixed signal: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for about $6.15 million, while Director David Maclennan purchased 800 shares for ~$205,500; insiders collectively own 0.50% of the stock.
• Q1 results and outlook: Ecolab reported $1.70 EPS (in line) and $4.07B revenue (beat), with revenue up 10% YoY and FY2026 guidance of $8.43–$8.63 EPS; analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $322.53.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 551,706 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 28,085 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.19% of Ecolab worth $144,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Ecolab by 195.9% in the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $113,287,000. M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Ecolab by 594.6% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $129,560,000 after acquiring an additional 422,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 115.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 24,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,224,929.30. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value 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. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $263.76 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $273.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.12. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $249.04 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Ecolab 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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