Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Has $25.43 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 5.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 92,844 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,443 shares during the quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $25,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 559.5% during the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 13,783 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,714,000 after purchasing an additional 11,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Advisors grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the second quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 956 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $276.97 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $78.10 billion, a PE ratio of 38.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $286.62 and a 200-day moving average of $274.55. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment 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, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

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.