AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Purchases 2,369 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 12,531 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,369 shares during the period. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,290,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,154 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in Ecolab by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 54,863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,403,000 after purchasing an additional 4,107 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 122,314 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,036,000 after purchasing an additional 12,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 30,545 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,019,000 after purchasing an additional 6,035 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued 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. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $251.00 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $270.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.60. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $249.04 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $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. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Ecolab 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.