Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 10.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 844,999 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 77,390 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $231,401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $349,000. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $218,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $282.91 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $285.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results 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. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.