S&CO Inc. Buys Shares of 225,862 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 16th, 2026

S&CO Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 225,862 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,927,000. Ecolab makes up 3.6% of S&CO Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. S&CO Inc. owned 0.08% of Ecolab as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at about $509,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $251,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $350,000. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $245,000. Finally, Next Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $815,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ecolab

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $274.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

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.