Donaldson Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Donaldson Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,688 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2%

ECL opened at $260.82 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $285.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.73. The stock has a market cap of $73.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.83, a PEG ratio of 2.16 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend 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.