Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 14.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 127,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,955 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $33,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 13,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. Demming Financial Services Corp ADV purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,032,000. Winthrop Partners WNY LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $573,000. Finally, Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,084,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.41.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

ECL stock opened at $269.71 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $261.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.50, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders 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 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.