Nordea Investment Management AB Purchases 65,836 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,718,633 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,836 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $453,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,898,565,000 after purchasing an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 195.9% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,699,000 after purchasing an additional 444,053 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $193,753,000 after purchasing an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $97,664,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.8%

ECL stock opened at $256.55 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $72.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $286.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.04. 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 (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.19 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued 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, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic growth play into AI infrastructure — the acquisition gives Ecolab immediate exposure to liquid cooling for high-density AI data centers, a fast-growing market that could materially diversify and accelerate Ecolab’s long-term growth profile. Ecolab Buys a Liquid Cooling Company for $4.75 Billion. It’s All About AI.
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal confirmation and terms — multiple outlets report the finalized $4.75B all-cash purchase from KKR and the company’s intent to scale CoolIT’s tech globally; this confirms prior reports that Ecolab was pursuing a large data-center cooling acquisition. Ecolab to acquire CoolIT Systems for $4.75 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and near-term pressure — shares slipped after the announcement as investors appeared concerned about the sizable cash payment, potential strain on capital allocation and integration execution risk. Ecolab Unleashes $4.75 Billion CoolIT Buy For AI Cooling
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst / forecasting headwinds — at least one firm has issued a cautious outlook on Ecolab following the deal, citing valuation and earnings-per-share risk from the transaction and execution uncertainty. Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on ECL shares. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.24.

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.