Waycross Partners LLC Buys 3,154 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 20th, 2026

Waycross Partners LLC lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 101,890 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,154 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for about 2.6% of Waycross Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $27,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $272.91 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $264.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.08. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Ecolab from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $293.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.06.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ECL

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.