Financial & Tax Architects LLC Invests $6.66 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Financial & Tax Architects LLC bought a new stake of 25,356 shares in Ecolab valued at approximately $6.66 million, representing 1.5% of its portfolio and its 29th largest holding.
• Insider selling included CEO Christophe Beck offloading 20,000 shares for about $6.15 million (an 18.05% reduction) and director Tracy B. McKibben selling 1,265 shares for roughly $390,455.
• Ecolab reported Q4 EPS of $2.08 (beat by $0.01) with revenue of $4.19 billion (+4.8% y/y), issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.43–8.63, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 (1.1% yield; ex-dividend Mar 17).

Financial & Tax Architects LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 25,356 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $6,656,000. Ecolab comprises 1.5% of Financial & Tax Architects LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 2,878 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 25.2% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,521 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,716 shares during the period. Savvy Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 3,473 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 5,025 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 179.2% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,569 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,649 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. This represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $263.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The business's fifty day moving average price is $284.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.57. The company has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.23, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's payout ratio is 40.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane restated an "outperform" rating and set a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup raised their target price on Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.56.

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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