Boston Common Asset Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Boston Common Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 51,527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,371 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $13,527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on ECL. UBS Group increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:ECL opened at $262.31 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $285.23 and a 200-day moving average of $273.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.08 billion, a PE ratio of 36.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The business’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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.