Pacific Point Advisors LLC Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,348 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,465,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $41,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: Ecolab posted a slight EPS beat and provided FY?2026 guidance (8.43–8.63 EPS), which supports forward earnings visibility. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: BNP Paribas Exane moved ECL to a “strong?buy” (and earlier reaffirmed an outperform with a higher price target), adding buy?side momentum around the name. Zacks – BNP Paribas upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Additional broker support: Evercore ISI issued a buy rating, and other analysts have raised targets (analyst commentary suggests fair values in the low?to?mid $300s), reinforcing upside narratives. Evercore ISI buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair?value discussion: Coverage noted an average analyst view around US$317 post?results, which frames where market participants expect ECL to trade over the medium term. Yahoo Finance – $317 analyst view
• Neutral Sentiment: Style/quant coverage: Zacks highlighted Ecolab as a top?ranked growth/style pick, which may attract style?focused funds but has limited immediate price impact. Zacks – Top?ranked growth stock
• Negative Sentiment: Concerns on organic growth: Some analysts/commentary argue Ecolab’s organic growth wasn’t strong enough to fully justify upgrades, raising questions about the sustainability of the recent run. Seeking Alpha – organic growth critique

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $298.90 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $306.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.66 billion, a PE ratio of 41.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $274.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.55.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. 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 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on ECL. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Evercore upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.06.

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.