Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,942 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,098,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $16,698,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,641,000 after acquiring an additional 4,886 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.
Insider Activity
In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.
Get Our Latest Analysis on ECL
Ecolab Stock Up 1.9%
ECL stock opened at $287.03 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $276.92 and its 200-day moving average is $273.69. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed 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 yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.
About Ecolab
(
Free Report)
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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