Caprock Group LLC Acquires Shares of 12,372 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 12,372 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,428,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $847,544,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $193,753,000 after buying an additional 389,981 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in Ecolab by 64.5% during the third 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 buying an additional 344,541 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 1.0% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 49.7% in the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 741,253 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $199,723,000 after acquiring an additional 246,237 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab 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 directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: adjusted EPS $2.08 beat consensus and management reported margin expansion and accelerating demand; FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63 reinforces a stronger profit outlook. Ecolab forecasts 2026 profit above estimates on strong demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management tone: the earnings call was described as upbeat, with the company outlining initiatives and acquisitions (including Ovivo) that support 12%–15% EPS growth targets for 2026. Ecolab outlines 12%–15% EPS growth for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Jefferies raised its price target to $352 and kept a Buy rating — a large upward revision that supports upside thesis and likely contributed to buying interest. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Additional buy-side support: RBC boosted its target to $337 (Outperform) and other firms (e.g., Wells Fargo) raised targets — these actions reinforce investor confidence in recovery and margin gains. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views: JPMorgan raised its target to $295 but kept a Neutral rating, signaling some caution remains despite higher targets. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Market nuance: some pre‑market weakness was noted despite the beat — revenue came in essentially flat vs. estimates ($4.19B vs. $4.20B) and a few analysts flagged mixed segment momentum, which could cap near‑term upside. ECL Stock Falls in Pre-Market Despite Q4 Earnings Beat

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.80.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $303.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $85.87 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $304.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $272.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.14.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s 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.