State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Buys 2,306 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 87,884 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,306 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $24,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 17.8% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,836 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $233,000. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,574 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,232,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $298.90 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.69. The stock has a market cap of $84.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.06, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $306.52.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 target price (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.06.

Key Stories 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 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.