Madison Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Madison Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,218 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in Ecolab by 131.4% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 6,032 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,584,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 13,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,214 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Investment Management increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Northeast Investment Management now owns 5,753 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,510,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,133 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $823,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on ECL. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:ECL opened at $251.61 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $269.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $272.43. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $248.75 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $70.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.05, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the transaction, the director 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.