New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Has $17.38 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,460 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,969 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up 0.7% of New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $17,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in Ecolab by 64.5% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Finally, Bornite Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $68,465,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $308.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $282.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $274.20. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven 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 $323.56.

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.