Assetmark Inc. Boosts Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 13.2% in Q4 to 39,784 shares worth $10.44M, and institutional investors now own about 74.91% of the stock.
• CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at an average $307.37 (≈$6.15M), cutting his holding by 18.05%, and Director Tracy B. McKibben sold 1,265 shares (~$390k); insiders now hold 0.50% of the company.
• Analysts rate Ecolab a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $321.44; the company reported Q4 EPS of $2.08 (slightly beat) and issued FY2026 guidance of $8.430–$8.630 EPS.

Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 39,784 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,648 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.44.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $275.31 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $281.48 and its 200-day moving average is $273.72. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.39 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $77.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.82, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 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.

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