Ecolab Inc. $ECL is Mirova’s 3rd Largest Position

Mirova decreased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,302 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,361 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up approximately 6.1% of Mirova’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Mirova owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab worth $42,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,898,565,000 after buying an additional 527,902 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Ecolab by 195.9% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 115.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $97,664,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.24.

Ecolab Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $261.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $287.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $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. Equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued 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 is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Ecolab 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.