Forsta AP Fonden Has $30.57 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Forsta AP Fonden lifted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 116,440 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,640 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $30,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $880,506,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Ecolab by 195.9% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,699,000 after purchasing an additional 444,053 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $113,287,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Ecolab by 594.6% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 493,525 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $129,560,000 after purchasing an additional 422,471 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.5%

ECL stock opened at $256.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $261.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.41.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.