Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd

Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 30.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 102,093 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,610 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up approximately 1.3% of Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,801,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,022,334,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE:ECL opened at $274.15 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $261.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.25. The company has a market cap of $77.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99.

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. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $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 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ECL. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. UBS Group upgraded Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.41.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.