California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 8,224 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 492,286 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 8,224 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.17% of Ecolab worth $130,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after buying an additional 441,747 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after buying an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.09, slightly above the $2.08 consensus, while revenue reached $4.42 billion versus expectations of $4.39 billion. Revenue grew 9.7% year over year, and adjusted EPS increased 11%, supported by pricing, volume growth, and productivity. Ecolab Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $8.05-$8.25, representing expected growth of 7%-10%. Strong demand was especially evident in Global High-Tech, where organic sales rose 29%, and Life Sciences, where organic sales increased 15%. Ecolab Raises 2026 EPS Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted accelerating growth across core businesses and improving margins, despite rising commodity costs and Middle East-related disruptions. Ecolab also repurchased approximately 1.2 million shares during the quarter. Ecolab Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $295 to $305 and reiterated an Overweight rating. William Blair also maintained a Buy rating, citing the earnings beat, higher guidance, and margin recovery. JPMorgan Raises Ecolab Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab expects third-quarter adjusted EPS of $2.13-$2.23, below the $2.27 analyst consensus, although the forecast still implies continued earnings growth. Ecolab Beats Q2 Estimates and Raises Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its fiscal 2027 EPS estimate to $9.35 from $9.40, signaling limited longer-term earnings pressure despite the improved 2026 outlook.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $283.58 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $268.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.38. The stock has a market cap of $79.81 billion, a PE ratio of 38.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.39 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.44.

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.