Mairs & Power Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Mairs & Power trimmed its stake in Ecolab by 1.5% to 777,029 shares (about 0.27% of Ecolab), a holding valued at roughly $212.8 million and representing ~2.0% of Mairs & Power’s portfolio.
• Insiders sold shares recently: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares at an average $307.37 (~$6.15M), reducing his stake by 18.05%, and director Tracy B. McKibben sold 1,265 shares at ~$308.66.
• Ecolab reported Q results of $2.08 EPS (beat by $0.01) on $4.20B revenue, issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.430–8.630, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 ($2.92 annualized, 1.1% yield) with an ex-dividend date of March 17 and payment on April 15.

Mairs & Power Inc. reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 777,029 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 11,900 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises approximately 2.0% of Mairs & Power Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Mairs & Power Inc. owned 0.27% of Ecolab worth $212,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $273.29 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $287.31 and its 200 day moving average is $274.41. 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 company has a market cap of $77.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.54, a PEG 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 released its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. The company's quarterly 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.71.

About Ecolab

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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