Gradient Investments LLC Purchases 12,890 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 14.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 100,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,890 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 25.8% during the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $19,773,000 after buying an additional 14,800 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 20.5% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,254,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its stake in Ecolab by 19.9% in the third quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 83,379 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $22,834,000 after buying an additional 13,840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 162.4% in the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,000 after buying an additional 3,320 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $256.55 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $72.34 billion, a PE ratio of 35.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $286.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.04.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines 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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the 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 completion of 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 sale 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 Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.24.

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.