Callan Family Office LLC Invests $3.14 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Callan Family Office LLC acquired 11,260 Ecolab shares worth approximately $3.14 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.09 in EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, with revenue up 9.7% year over year. The company issued third-quarter EPS guidance of $2.13–$2.23.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to a $2.92 annualized payout and a 1.0% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $327.56.

Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 11,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,137,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth 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 last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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. Insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $281.91 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $276.56 and a 200 day moving average of $273.73. The company has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 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 analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. The business'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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Company 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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