Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Focus Financial Network Inc.

Key Points

• Focus Financial Network cut its Ecolab stake by 36.2% in the second quarter, selling 5,114 shares and retaining 8,996 shares valued at approximately $2.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56. Recent firms raised targets as high as $342 and upgraded or reaffirmed bullish ratings.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted earnings of $2.09 per share and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.0% yield.

Focus Financial Network Inc. lowered its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 36.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,996 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,114 shares during the quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. 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. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $283.67 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $79.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $272.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week 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.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders bought 9,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,513,980 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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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