Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Buys 43,551 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 11.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 425,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 43,551 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.15% of Ecolab worth $116,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Group Ltd lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’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 sale, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $274.12 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $287.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.50. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The firm’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. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

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.