Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Posted by Brenda Bartman on May 18th, 2026

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 2,621.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 280,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 270,406 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $73,695,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Isthmus Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $371,000. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 4,877 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,281,000 after buying an additional 632 shares during the period. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 3,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $966,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the period. Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $24,106,000. Finally, Conning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 18,788 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,932,000 after buying an additional 1,956 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $247.50 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $245.25 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a market cap of $69.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $266.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $271.83.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.Ecolab’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.51%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 90,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,907,351.78. The trade was a 18.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Ecolab from $310.00 to $285.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Berenberg Bank raised Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.53.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ECL

Ecolab Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.