9,917 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Vise Technologies Inc.

Key Points

• Vise Technologies acquired 9,917 Ecolab shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $2.76 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $2.09 and revenue of $4.42 billion, both slightly above analyst expectations, while revenue increased 9.7% year over year. Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.
• Insider activity was mixed: a director purchased nearly $2 million in shares, while the CEO sold about $5 million and insiders sold $7.88 million worth of stock overall in the last quarter. Ecolab also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.0% yield.

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 9,917 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,763,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. 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, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The business's fifty day moving average is $276.56 and its 200-day moving average is $273.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84. The firm has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.

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