Demming Financial Services Corp ADV Makes New $1.03 Million Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Demming Financial Services Corp ADV purchased a new stake of 3,932 shares in Ecolab (ECL), valued at approximately $1.03 million, representing 0.8% of the fund and its 12th-largest holding.
• Ecolab beat Q4 estimates with $2.08 EPS (vs. $2.07) on $4.20 billion revenue (up 4.8% YoY) and issued FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS and Q1 guidance of 1.670–1.730 EPS.
• Several analysts recently raised price targets and ratings—MarketBeat shows a consensus of Moderate Buy with a $323.56 average price target.

Demming Financial Services Corp ADV purchased a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,932 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,032,000. Ecolab accounts for 0.8% of Demming Financial Services Corp ADV's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of ECL opened at $274.12 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $287.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.97. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

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 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 $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total transaction of $6,147,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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