Global Retirement Partners LLC Raises Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 22.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,663 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. 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 report on Tuesday, March 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned 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 price target of $320.65.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.3%

Ecolab stock opened at $253.33 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $263.35 and its 200-day moving average is $271.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $71.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.28, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

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.