Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Takes $3.54 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Daiichi Life Insurance acquired 12,725 Ecolab shares worth approximately $3.54 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56, despite ratings ranging from “Strong Sell” to “Strong Buy.”
• Ecolab reported quarterly earnings of $2.09 per share and revenue of $4.42 billion, both slightly above estimates, while revenue increased 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.0% annualized yield.

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 12,725 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,545,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth about $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Mizuho raised their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $281.91 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a PE ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $276.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.66.

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, topping 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 company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

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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