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

Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,861 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 22.0% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 4.3% during the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 3.4% during the third quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 13,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,746,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 3.8% during the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.44.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total transaction of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $275.31 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $281.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.75. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.39 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $77.75 billion, a PE ratio of 37.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 $4.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.81 earnings per share. Ecolab’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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s 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.