Noesis Capital Mangement Corp Has $16.16 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Noesis Capital Mangement Corp grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 61,559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,225 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up 2.3% of Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,160,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. 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 acquiring an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $113,287,000. 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 acquiring an additional 422,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 115.6% during 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. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE ECL opened at $247.50 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $245.25 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $266.61 and a 200-day moving average of $271.88. The company has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.51%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.