Bank of Nova Scotia Purchases Shares of 28,212 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia acquired 28,212 Ecolab shares worth approximately $7.86 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Ecolab receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $327.56, despite one “Strong Sell” rating.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.09 EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to a 1.0% annual yield.

Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 28,212 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $7,860,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Ecolab by 22.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One 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, Ecolab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value 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. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.9%

ECL opened at $287.03 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock's fifty day moving average is $276.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.69. The company has a market capitalization of $80.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for 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%.The business's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Ecolab 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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