Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. Takes $489,000 Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,861 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $275.31 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.39 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $281.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.75. The company has a market cap of $77.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.82, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $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. On average, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders 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 was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 40.11%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business’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 transaction of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.