Waycross Partners LLC Buys New Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Waycross Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 95,269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,090,000. Ecolab accounts for 2.2% of Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $303.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $275.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $272.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $306.52.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.06.

Ecolab Company 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.