Aberdeen Group plc Has $100.49 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 367,322 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,213 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.13% of Ecolab worth $100,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,465,000. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,724 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,297,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.0% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 14,416 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,948,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 16.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,136 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,622,000 after acquiring an additional 4,951 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price 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. UBS Group increased 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. Evercore raised shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.06.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE ECL opened at $298.90 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $274.00 and its 200-day moving average is $271.69. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $84.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $306.52.

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

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

More Ecolab News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: Ecolab posted a slight EPS beat and provided FY‑2026 guidance (8.43–8.63 EPS), which supports forward earnings visibility. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: BNP Paribas Exane moved ECL to a “strong‑buy” (and earlier reaffirmed an outperform with a higher price target), adding buy‑side momentum around the name. Zacks – BNP Paribas upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Additional broker support: Evercore ISI issued a buy rating, and other analysts have raised targets (analyst commentary suggests fair values in the low‑to‑mid $300s), reinforcing upside narratives. Evercore ISI buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair‑value discussion: Coverage noted an average analyst view around US$317 post‑results, which frames where market participants expect ECL to trade over the medium term. Yahoo Finance – $317 analyst view
• Neutral Sentiment: Style/quant coverage: Zacks highlighted Ecolab as a top‑ranked growth/style pick, which may attract style‑focused funds but has limited immediate price impact. Zacks – Top‑ranked growth stock
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns on organic growth: Some analysts/commentary argue Ecolab’s organic growth wasn’t strong enough to fully justify upgrades, raising questions about the sustainability of the recent run. Seeking Alpha – organic growth critique

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.