Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Grows Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 21.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,970 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 65.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,413,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $370,967,000 after purchasing an additional 557,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.1% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.41.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.3%

ECL opened at $268.88 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $261.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.