Cresset Asset Management LLC Purchases 3,464 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,231 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,464 shares during the quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $13,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Wealth Group Ltd raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% during the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.7% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $297.73 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $284.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $274.59. The firm has a market cap of $83.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.97.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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.