Gradient Investments LLC Boosts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 14.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,890 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 2.1% in 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 buying an additional 527,902 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Ecolab by 195.9% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $183,699,000 after buying an additional 444,053 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 115.6% during 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. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $97,664,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% 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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a 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 given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.24.

Key Stories Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic growth play into AI infrastructure — the acquisition gives Ecolab immediate exposure to liquid cooling for high-density AI data centers, a fast-growing market that could materially diversify and accelerate Ecolab’s long-term growth profile. Ecolab Buys a Liquid Cooling Company for $4.75 Billion. It’s All About AI.
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal confirmation and terms — multiple outlets report the finalized $4.75B all-cash purchase from KKR and the company’s intent to scale CoolIT’s tech globally; this confirms prior reports that Ecolab was pursuing a large data-center cooling acquisition. Ecolab to acquire CoolIT Systems for $4.75 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and near-term pressure — shares slipped after the announcement as investors appeared concerned about the sizable cash payment, potential strain on capital allocation and integration execution risk. Ecolab Unleashes $4.75 Billion CoolIT Buy For AI Cooling
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst / forecasting headwinds — at least one firm has issued a cautious outlook on Ecolab following the deal, citing valuation and earnings-per-share risk from the transaction and execution uncertainty. Wells Fargo & Company Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock Price

Ecolab Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $256.55 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. 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 fifty day moving average is $286.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.24, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released 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. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 is currently 40.11%.

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.