Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas grew its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 21.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 28,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,970 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $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 available through the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $268.88 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $261.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.26. 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 stock has a market cap of $75.67 billion, a PE ratio of 36.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.41.

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.