US Bancorp DE Purchases 8,626 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,017,744 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,626 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE owned about 0.36% of Ecolab worth $278,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 93.6% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $305.99 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $86.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.03, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.99. 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 has a 50-day simple moving average of $281.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.91% and a return on equity of 22.73%. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab’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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. This represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.