Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 2,484 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 69.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,049 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,484 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd 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 boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the 4th 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. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $262.20 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.05 billion, a PE ratio of 36.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.02. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $283.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.56.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its 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. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.81 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of 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. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

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.