Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Has $2.89 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lessened its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 82.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,541 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 50,900 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.71.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:ECL opened at $273.29 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.54, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $287.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $274.41.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

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.