Avanza Fonder AB Invests $857,000 in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,266 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $857,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Group Ltd grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% in the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 0.9% during the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 3.8% during the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other 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 sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% 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 owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $264.46 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $286.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.88. The company has a market capitalization of $74.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $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 analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Ecolab from Neutral to Overweight, citing stronger pricing power and a shift toward higher‑growth businesses; they set a $295 price target. J.P. Morgan Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital reiterated its Buy rating on Ecolab, reinforcing analyst support after the company’s strategic moves. BMO Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America kept a Buy and a bullish $337 target, highlighting that the CoolIT acquisition expands Ecolab’s high‑tech growth platform and recurring‑revenue potential. BofA on CoolIT
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab announced the ~$4.75B CoolIT Systems acquisition to beef up liquid cooling for data centers/AI — viewed as strategic entry into a high‑growth, recurring‑revenue market. Analysts say this supports medium‑term growth and margin upside. CoolIT Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab management told investors that data‑center cooling demand should outlast the AI “hype” cycle, supporting durable end‑market demand for CoolIT products. Data‑Center Demand Comment
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird lowered its price target from $320 to $296 but kept an Outperform rating — still above the current share price, so it’s a mixed signal (lowered upside but maintained conviction). Baird PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: M&A call materials and transcripts (slides and transcript) were posted, providing execution details on CoolIT integration and financial assumptions — useful for investors digging into deal economics. M&A Call Transcript M&A Slideshow

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued 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. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

About Ecolab

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.