Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $7.92 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 15.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 3,907 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,918,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in Ecolab by 64.5% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after buying an additional 344,541 shares during the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,773,000 after acquiring an additional 14,800 shares in the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 162.4% during the 3rd quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,469,000 after acquiring an additional 3,320 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 66,656 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,254,000 after purchasing an additional 11,322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in Ecolab by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 597,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $163,744,000 after purchasing an additional 9,837 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.2%

Ecolab stock opened at $303.18 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $304.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.65, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $272.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.14.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced 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 company had revenue of $4.19 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.50.

Key Stories Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and margin improvement: Ecolab reported adjusted Q4 EPS of $2.08 (beat) with margin expansion and revenue up ~4.8% y/y, giving the quarter a broadly positive read on profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Above‑consensus FY‑2026 guidance: Management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63 and Q1 EPS of $1.67–$1.73, with revenue guidance roughly $17.2–$17.5B — guidance framed as conservative but implies continued margin-driven earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat earnings call / confident 2026 outlook: Management commentary emphasized accelerating growth drivers (water, pest, life‑sciences) and margin leverage heading into 2026. The tone helped underpin investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price‑target raises: Jefferies raised its PT to $352 (buy), RBC to $337 (outperform) and Wells Fargo to $310 — these uplifts and buy/outperform stances support further upside potential. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and comparisons: Industry writeups and a head‑to‑head review vs. Toray outline competitive positioning and long‑term drivers but are not near‑term catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Pre‑market weakness/uneven investor reaction: Some outlets noted the stock dipped in pre‑market trading despite the beat — investors are parsing revenue mix and near‑term volume recovery, producing mixed sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan keeps a neutral rating and a $295 target: Although JPMorgan raised its target from $265 to $295, it remains neutral and the $295 target is below current levels — a signal that not all sell‑side views are unequivocally bullish. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.