Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Madison Asset Management LLC

Posted by Geri Gentry on May 13th, 2026

Madison Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,218 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,047 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 20,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.37, for a total value of $6,147,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 90,794 shares in the company, valued at $27,907,351.78. This trade represents a 18.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $256.91 per share, with a total value of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. This trade represents a 3.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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, February 11th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $326.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $335.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.53.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Ecolab

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $251.61 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $269.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $272.43. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $248.75 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $70.81 billion, a PE ratio of 34.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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.