Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Gradient Investments LLC

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 8th, 2026

Gradient Investments LLC cut its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 14.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 79,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 13,109 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $22,219,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Ecolab

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired 9,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,513,980 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $284.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $80.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $272.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.76. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

About Ecolab

(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.