Neuberger Berman Group LLC Raises Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 34.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 266,949 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,800 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $73,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 19.2% during the third quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. One Wealth Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. One Wealth Capital Management LLC now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 15,908 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,357,000 after buying an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leeward Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Leeward Financial Partners LLC now owns 18,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,014,000 after buying an additional 1,292 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $282.91 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $285.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $274.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

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.