Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Grows Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1,285.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 172,799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 160,325 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $45,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in Ecolab by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $223,000. Riverbridge Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% in the first quarter. Riverbridge Partners LLC now owns 13,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,555,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 9.5% in the first quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $638,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 100.7% in the first quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,760 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $281.47 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $261.42 and its 200 day moving average is $271.40. The company has a market cap of $79.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous 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. Research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508 over the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by 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.