Dayah Capital LLC Purchases New Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Dayah Capital LLC acquired 15,000 Ecolab shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $4.18 million and representing 1.4% of its portfolio. Hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Ecolab receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56. Recent target increases ranged from $320 to $342.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.09 in EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, up 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, yielding approximately 1.0% annually.

Dayah Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 15,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $4,179,000. Ecolab makes up 1.4% of Dayah Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 209 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $290.01 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $277.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.71.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 presently 39.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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