Cwm LLC Acquires 5,703 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 22.7% in Q4, buying 5,703 shares to hold 30,808 shares valued at about $8.09 million.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for roughly $6.15 million (an 18.05% reduction) and director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares; insiders now own about 0.5% of the stock.
• Equity analysts are largely positive, with several raising targets (Jefferies to $352, BMO to $345) and a MarketBeat average price target of $321.44 noted as a "Moderate Buy," while Ecolab set FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.43–8.63.

Cwm LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,808 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 5,703 shares during the period. Cwm LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,088,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Adelphi Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $532,000. LBP AM SA raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 100,461 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,373,000 after acquiring an additional 19,064 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 61.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,865,000 after acquiring an additional 2,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 56,083 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $14,723,000 after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $321.44.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of ECL opened at $276.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $281.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.39 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.19 billion for 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 was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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 expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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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