Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,483,725 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $413,381,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.53% of Ecolab at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.
Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%
NYSE:ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $276.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.19%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms have weighed in on ECL. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ECL
Insider Activity at Ecolab
In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.
About Ecolab
(
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.
See Also
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