Bath Savings Trust Co Acquires 2,294 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Bath Savings Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 77,462 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,294 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 2.0% of Bath Savings Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Bath Savings Trust Co’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $20,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $847,544,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 2.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,190,115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,898,565,000 after acquiring an additional 527,902 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 195.9% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 670,778 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $183,699,000 after acquiring an additional 444,053 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $193,753,000 after acquiring an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $97,664,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $264.46 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $286.26 and a 200-day moving average of $273.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its 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. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior 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, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Key Headlines Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Ecolab from Neutral to Overweight, citing stronger pricing power and a shift toward higher‑growth businesses; they set a $295 price target. J.P. Morgan Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital reiterated its Buy rating on Ecolab, reinforcing analyst support after the company’s strategic moves. BMO Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America kept a Buy and a bullish $337 target, highlighting that the CoolIT acquisition expands Ecolab’s high‑tech growth platform and recurring‑revenue potential. BofA on CoolIT
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab announced the ~$4.75B CoolIT Systems acquisition to beef up liquid cooling for data centers/AI — viewed as strategic entry into a high‑growth, recurring‑revenue market. Analysts say this supports medium‑term growth and margin upside. CoolIT Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab management told investors that data‑center cooling demand should outlast the AI “hype” cycle, supporting durable end‑market demand for CoolIT products. Data‑Center Demand Comment
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird lowered its price target from $320 to $296 but kept an Outperform rating — still above the current share price, so it’s a mixed signal (lowered upside but maintained conviction). Baird PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: M&A call materials and transcripts (slides and transcript) were posted, providing execution details on CoolIT integration and financial assumptions — useful for investors digging into deal economics. M&A Call Transcript M&A Slideshow

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.