Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 2,050 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. cut its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,050 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $9,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.65.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $250.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $263.82 and a 200 day moving average of $271.51.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Ecolab

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.