Cook Gregory B 4

What Happened
Gregory B. Cook, EVP & President — Institutional Group at Ecolab (ECL), exercised stock options to acquire 3,800 shares at an exercise price of $137.09 (cost $520,931) on Feb 26, 2026. On the same day he sold 3,519 shares in an open-market transaction at $304.25 per share, generating proceeds of $1,070,656. The filing also shows a related conversion/disposition of 3,800 derivative shares at $0, consistent with the option exercise/settlement entries reported.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-02-26 (Form 4 filed 2026-02-27, within the typical 2-business-day window).
• Option exercise: 3,800 shares acquired at $137.09 — total cash paid $520,931 (transaction code M).
• Open-market sale: 3,519 shares sold at $304.25 — proceeds $1,070,656 (transaction code S).
• Additional derivative entry: 3,800 shares listed as disposed at $0 (reported as a derivative conversion).
• Ownership reported (footnote): 3,556.129 units in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k)) as of Jan 31, 2026 — approximately 6,519 shares equivalent. (Footnote F1.)
• Option background (footnote F2): The option was granted under the Ecolab 2010 Stock Incentive Plan with a three‑year graded vesting schedule; the filing notes the first vesting date shown.
• No 10b5-1 plan or late-filing flag is indicated in the provided data.

Context
When insiders exercise options and sell shares on the same day, it often reflects cashing out gains or covering exercise/tax costs (a cashless exercise or related settlement). This filing documents both an exercise (a purchase of shares via options) and an immediate partial sale; it is a routine corporate insider transaction and should not be taken alone as a signal of company prospects.