Mairs & Power Inc. Sells 11,900 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Mairs & Power Inc. decreased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 777,029 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 11,900 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up approximately 2.0% of Mairs & Power Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Mairs & Power Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $212,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.71.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.3%

ECL opened at $273.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $287.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.41. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.