Bank of America Corp DE Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Bank of America acquired 2.08 million Ecolab shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $578.9 million, giving it a 0.74% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56; several firms recently raised their targets or upgraded the stock.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.09 in EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, while revenue increased 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.1% yield.

Bank of America Corp DE bought 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 Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,077,898 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $578,923,000. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.74% of Ecolab at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after buying an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,468,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $910,423,000 after buying an additional 40,288 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Zacks Research raised Ecolab from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction 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 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. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.4%

ECL opened at $274.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $278.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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