Allworth Financial LP Increases Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 640.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,528 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,001 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $9,182,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Group Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.4% during the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $258.50 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $286.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $72.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.51, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The company’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, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ECL. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research 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 MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.24.

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.