California State Teachers Retirement System Has $129.28 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

California State Teachers Retirement System cut its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 464,016 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 28,270 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.17% of Ecolab worth $129,279,498 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $880,506,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL traded down $1.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $274.34. The stock had a trading volume of 365,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,465,800. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $271.80. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $76.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab'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, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders 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 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. 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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