Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 4,823 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 61.0%, buying 4,823 shares to hold 12,735 shares valued at $3.343 million at quarter-end, while institutional investors own about 74.91% of the stock.
• Ecolab slightly beat quarterly EPS expectations ($2.08 vs. $2.07), reported revenue up 4.8% year-over-year, and issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.43–8.63 (Q1 guidance 1.67–1.73).
• Insider activity included CEO Christophe Beck selling 20,000 shares for roughly $6.15 million (an 18.05% reduction in his holding); company insiders now own about 0.50% of the stock.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 61.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,735 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,823 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 31,737 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $8,618,000 after buying an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in Ecolab by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 88,922 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,145,000 after buying an additional 3,666 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Ecolab by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 7,695 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,020,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Ecolab by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 74,138 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $19,463,000 after buying an additional 7,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,634 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $275.31 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.82, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $281.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.39 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.670-1.730 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. This trade represents a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $312.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Erste Group Bank cut Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $321.44.

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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