Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $1.61 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. trimmed its stake in Ecolab by 42.5% in Q4, selling 4,523 shares and leaving a holding of 6,127 shares valued at about $1.61 million.
• Company insiders reduced holdings: CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares for roughly $6.15 million and director Tracy B. McKibben sold 1,265 shares, each cutting their ownership by double-digit percentages.
• Analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target of $321.44; Ecolab slightly beat Q earnings ($2.08 vs. $2.07), issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.43–8.63, and pays a $0.73 quarterly dividend (≈1.1% yield).

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 42.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,127 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,523 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA's holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Portside Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,660 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,342 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $915,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.44.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $275.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $281.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.72. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.39 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $77.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The firm'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 expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.11%.

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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