Howland Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Posted by George Bondi on Jun 13th, 2026

Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 180,222 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 12,126 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 1.8% of Howland Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $47,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 22.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,684,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

More Ecolab News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

Positive Sentiment: Director Michel Doukeris made a sizable purchase of 7,750 Ecolab shares at $258 each, a multi-million-dollar bet that can signal confidence in the company’s outlook. Michel Doukeris Acquires 7,750 Shares of Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) Stock
Positive Sentiment: The company continues to show solid operating fundamentals, with its last quarterly earnings meeting EPS expectations and revenue coming in above estimates, while full-year guidance remains intact.
Neutral Sentiment: Ecolab also confirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a steady income name rather than a pure growth story.
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain mixed but generally favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a price target above current trading levels, though Erste Group recently trimmed its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts slightly.
Negative Sentiment: COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares, which can weigh on sentiment even though the sale appears to be relatively modest compared with his remaining stake. Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) COO Sells $2,608,900.00 in Stock
Negative Sentiment: Some recent analyst commentary has focused on valuation concerns, suggesting Ecolab’s premium multiple could limit upside if growth expectations cool. Is S&P 500 Valuation Scrutiny Weighing on Ecolab’s Premium?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $312.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group raised Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ecolab from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.41.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ecolab

Ecolab Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $265.53 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $260.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.27. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $74.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.90.

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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 9,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,455,678 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab 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.