Freemont Management S.A. Lowers Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Freemont Management S.A. trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 88.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 46,100 shares during the period. Freemont Management S.A.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,698,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 2.0% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 14,416 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,948,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 16.4% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 35,136 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,622,000 after buying an additional 4,951 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 22,127 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,060,000 after buying an additional 3,301 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 30,612 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,383,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ICW Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,358 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $324.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Ecolab from $294.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up previously from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.50.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages raised price targets and/or reiterated favorable ratings, signaling analyst confidence in upside (Jefferies raised its target to $352 with a “buy”; BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed “outperform” at $345; RBC raised to $337; Wells Fargo to $310). These upgrades support further upside potential. Analyst Moves
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings: Ecolab slightly beat EPS expectations (reported $2.08 vs. $2.07 est.), posted revenue growth (~4.8% y/y) and set FY2026 and Q1 guidance — results that helped the stock hit a new 1-year high earlier this week. Earnings / 1-Year High
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings call transcript is available for investors seeking management detail on growth drivers, margins and guidance execution; useful for assessing whether management can deliver the guided EPS range. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage and broader analyses (head-to-head with Toray, and a Yahoo/analysis piece on recent developments) provide context but don’t change the core thesis — they’re useful for relative valuation and competitive positioning checks. Comparative Review What Recent Developments Mean
• Negative Sentiment: A critical view from Seeking Alpha argues Ecolab lacks sufficient organic growth to justify upgrades — a narrative that can weigh on sentiment, especially given the stock’s recent run. Seeking Alpha Critique
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and positioning risks: Ecolab trades at a premium (high PE ~41, PEG ~2.6) and volume spiked above average — factors that can prompt near-term profit-taking if growth catalysts disappoint or guidance execution falters. Valuation Note

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $300.87 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $306.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $273.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $271.35.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 12.91%.The business had revenue of $4.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

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.