Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Beacon Pointe Advisors initiated a $8.17 million Ecolab position by purchasing 29,335 shares in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own approximately 74.91% of Ecolab’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.09 in 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.

Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 29,335 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $8,173,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,576,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $515,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,556,000. Finally, Glenview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $37,573,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.4%

Ecolab stock opened at $287.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.88. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $278.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.80. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. The business'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, sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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