Ecolab close to $5B acquisition of KKR's data center cooling unit

Ecolab is nearing a deal to acquire data center cooling company CoolIT Systems from KKR for between $4.5 billion and $5 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The transaction could be announced as early as next week, though no final agreement has been reached.

Ecolab shares fell 2.4% to $255.49 in afternoon trading.

KKR and Ecolab have not commented on the report.