Freemont Management S.A. Lowers Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Freemont Management S.A. decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 88.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 46,100 shares during the period. Freemont Management S.A.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,698,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $847,544,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 115.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in Ecolab by 64.5% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ecolab by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,662,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,644,987,000 after acquiring an additional 250,980 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 49.7% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 741,253 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $199,723,000 after purchasing an additional 246,237 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $319.50.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.9%

ECL stock opened at $300.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $273.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $271.35. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $306.52. The company has a market cap of $85.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Key Stories Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages raised price targets and/or reiterated favorable ratings, signaling analyst confidence in upside (Jefferies raised its target to $352 with a “buy”; BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed “outperform” at $345; RBC raised to $337; Wells Fargo to $310). These upgrades support further upside potential. Analyst Moves
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings: Ecolab slightly beat EPS expectations (reported $2.08 vs. $2.07 est.), posted revenue growth (~4.8% y/y) and set FY2026 and Q1 guidance — results that helped the stock hit a new 1-year high earlier this week. Earnings / 1-Year High
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors seeking management detail on growth drivers, margins and guidance execution; useful for assessing whether management can deliver the guided EPS range. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage and broader analyses (head-to-head with Toray, and a Yahoo/analysis piece on recent developments) provide context but don’t change the core thesis — they’re useful for relative valuation and competitive positioning checks. Comparative Review What Recent Developments Mean
• Negative Sentiment: A critical view from Seeking Alpha argues Ecolab lacks sufficient organic growth to justify upgrades — a narrative that can weigh on sentiment, especially given the stock’s recent run. Seeking Alpha Critique
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and positioning risks: Ecolab trades at a premium (high PE ~41, PEG ~2.6) and volume spiked above average — factors that can prompt near-term profit-taking if growth catalysts disappoint or guidance execution falters. Valuation Note

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.