Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Takes $8.77 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 32,033 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,773,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,787 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,311,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 33,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,310,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,415,887 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $387,748,000 after buying an additional 11,661 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 757,547 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $207,462,000 after buying an additional 6,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Ecolab by 11.5% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 277,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $75,938,000 after buying an additional 28,578 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $281.97 on Wednesday. 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 $286.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.56.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.