Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Reduces Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,159 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,106 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 81.5% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 93.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired 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 in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $305.39 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $306.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $279.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.27. The company has a market cap of $86.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 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, beating the consensus estimate 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 $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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. On average, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.11%.

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.