Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Has $14.40 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 54,863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,107 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $14,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 122,314 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,036,000 after acquiring an additional 12,497 shares during the last quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,545 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,019,000 after acquiring an additional 6,035 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC now owns 6,296 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,653,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 21,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,565,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on ECL. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $251.00 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $270.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $272.60. The company has a market cap of $70.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $249.04 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

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.