Baird Financial Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its Ecolab stake by 18.8% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 410,098 shares valued at approximately $114.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56. Recent quarterly results slightly exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $2.09 and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.92 and a 1.0% yield. Insider activity was mixed, with an executive purchase offset by the CEO’s sale of 17,862 shares.

Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 410,098 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 65,005 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.15% of Ecolab worth $114,257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $16,698,000. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,245,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $880,506,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $278.45 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.66.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business earned $1.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc NYSE: ECL provides water, hygiene, infection prevention and technology solutions to businesses and institutions worldwide. Its customers include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers and other organizations that rely on safe, efficient and sustainable operating environments.

The company's offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment and process-management systems, food-safety programs, infection-prevention solutions and pest-elimination services.

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