California State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 128,787,212 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its Ecolab stake by 128.8 million shares in the second quarter, reportedly owning 129.3 million shares valued at approximately $36.0 billion. Institutional investors collectively hold 74.91% of Ecolab’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56, despite one downgrade to “Strong Sell.” Ecolab shares opened at $279.91, below the consensus target.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with earnings of $2.09 per share and revenue of $4.42 billion, while revenue rose 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equal to a 1.0% annualized yield.

California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 26,161.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 129,279,498 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 128,787,212 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 46.12% of Ecolab worth $36,018,561,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth about $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $16,698,000. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,245,000. Finally, 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 worth $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $279.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $278.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $272.83. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year 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.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

About Ecolab

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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