Baer Investment Advisory LLC Raises Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Baer Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 171.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,202 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up 3.6% of Baer Investment Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Baer Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,823,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 86.7% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 10,636 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,866,000 after acquiring an additional 4,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 406 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% 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 corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $262.20 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $283.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.56. The firm has a market cap of $74.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.02, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.02. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. 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 report on Tuesday, March 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

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.