Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations Has $3.68 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 21.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,619 shares during the quarter. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations’ holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,679,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Savvy Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Ecolab by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $813,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 20.8% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 11,629 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,999 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,428,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Ecolab by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 469,236 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $128,505,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the period. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $861,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $327.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $265.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.80.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.2%

ECL stock opened at $303.18 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $304.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The business’s 50 day moving average is $272.49 and its 200-day moving average is $271.14. The firm has a market cap of $85.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business had revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. Ecolab’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. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 40.11%.

More Ecolab News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results: adjusted EPS $2.08 beat consensus and management reported margin expansion and accelerating demand; FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.43–$8.63 reinforces a stronger profit outlook. Ecolab forecasts 2026 profit above estimates on strong demand
• Positive Sentiment: Management tone: the earnings call was described as upbeat, with the company outlining initiatives and acquisitions (including Ovivo) that support 12%–15% EPS growth targets for 2026. Ecolab outlines 12%–15% EPS growth for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Jefferies raised its price target to $352 and kept a Buy rating — a large upward revision that supports upside thesis and likely contributed to buying interest. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Additional buy-side support: RBC boosted its target to $337 (Outperform) and other firms (e.g., Wells Fargo) raised targets — these actions reinforce investor confidence in recovery and margin gains. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views: JPMorgan raised its target to $295 but kept a Neutral rating, signaling some caution remains despite higher targets. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Market nuance: some pre‑market weakness was noted despite the beat — revenue came in essentially flat vs. estimates ($4.19B vs. $4.20B) and a few analysts flagged mixed segment momentum, which could cap near‑term upside. ECL Stock Falls in Pre-Market Despite Q4 Earnings Beat

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.