Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock: D.A. Davidson & CO. Boosts Holdings

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: D.A. Davidson raised its Ecolab stake by 4.3% to 226,771 shares, while hedge funds and other institutions collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive: Recent price-target increases produced a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with an average target of $327.53 versus Ecolab’s opening price of $292.33.
• Growth is solid but valuation is elevated: Quarterly revenue rose 12.7% year over year to $4.69 billion and EPS reached $2.18, but the stock trades at about 39 times earnings, creating valuation risk if growth or guidance weakens.

D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 226,771 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,440 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $62,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $6,422,340,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,617,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,007,851,000 after acquiring an additional 51,712 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Ecolab by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,412,057 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $641,609,000 after acquiring an additional 88,096 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Ecolab by 58.8% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $596,902,000 after acquiring an additional 830,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $578,923,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.53.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.4%

ECL opened at $292.33 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $81.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.87. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $281.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $275.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18. The company had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.70 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see further upside. JPMorgan raised its price target from $305 to $310 and reiterated an “overweight” rating, implying additional upside. Bank of America also said Ecolab may be laying the groundwork for a stronger growth story. JPMorgan analyst rating Bank of America growth outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center and high-tech demand is accelerating. Ecolab reported 7% organic sales growth in the third quarter, including 63% growth in Global High-Tech sales. AI-driven data-center construction and demand for water-management services are becoming important growth drivers. Ecolab third-quarter growth takeaways
• Positive Sentiment: Margins and revenue growth remained healthy. Third-quarter revenue increased 12.7% year over year to $4.69 billion, while management highlighted margin gains and strength in Water and Life Sciences. Adjusted earnings of $2.18 per share increased from $2.07 a year earlier and met consensus estimates. Ecolab third-quarter margin strength
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings report was mixed. Although EPS met or slightly beat some estimates, revenue was just below consensus, and Ecolab narrowed its 2026 outlook. Fourth-quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.13 to $2.23 suggests continued earnings growth but leaves limited room for disappointment. Ecolab earnings and outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk. With Ecolab trading at roughly 39 times earnings, some investors question whether AI-related growth alone can justify the stock’s premium valuation, particularly if broader organic growth or guidance moderates. Ecolab valuation analysis

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and cleaning solutions for businesses and institutions. The company helps customers manage water and energy use, maintain sanitary operations, protect food supplies and comply with health and safety standards.

Ecolab serves customers across industries including food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, institutional facilities and energy. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, water-treatment and process-management systems, pest-control services, kitchen and housekeeping products, infection-prevention programs, and related equipment, training and consulting services.

Founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory, the company has expanded from its original focus on cleaning products into a broad range of technology-enabled services and solutions.

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