Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock: Robeco Schweiz AG Raises Stake

Robeco Schweiz AG raised its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 220,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 3,034 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for 1.1% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $60,410,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $16,698,000. Saudi Central Bank increased its stake in Ecolab by 89.1% during the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 17,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,957,000 after purchasing an additional 8,384 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,932,000. Finally, Moore Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $7,298,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $288.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $80.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $280.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.53. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $299.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.50.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and cleaning solutions for businesses and institutions. The company helps customers manage water and energy use, maintain sanitary operations, protect food supplies and comply with health and safety standards.

Ecolab serves customers across industries including food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, institutional facilities and energy. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, water-treatment and process-management systems, pest-control services, kitchen and housekeeping products, infection-prevention programs, and related equipment, training and consulting services.

Founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory, the company has expanded from its original focus on cleaning products into a broad range of technology-enabled services and solutions.