Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by New Age Alpha Advisors LLC

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,460 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,969 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up 0.7% of New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $17,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.8% in the third quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 21,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,958,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $484,000. Argent Trust Co increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.8% in the third quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 9,448 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz SE lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 91.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz SE now owns 3,236 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:ECL opened at $308.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $86.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $282.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.20. 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.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.