CIBC Asset Management Inc Has $24.62 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 36.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 93,784 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,071 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $24,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 3,860,283 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,013,557,000 after acquiring an additional 202,449 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $880,506,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.0% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,159,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $591,535,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $254.60 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $261.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.32. 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 firm has a market cap of $71.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

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.