Waycross Partners LLC Purchases 3,467 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Waycross Partners LLC grew its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 98,736 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,467 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises about 2.1% of Waycross Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $25,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,361 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $882,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $474,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 22,390 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,878,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.3%

ECL stock opened at $260.82 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $285.53 and a 200-day moving average of $273.68. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $73.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.83, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.97. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 is presently 40.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $295.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently 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.