Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 20,902 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $5,824,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $278.45 on Wednesday. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $272.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.19%.

Ecolab Profile

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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