Empowered Funds LLC Acquires Shares of 21,611 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired 21,611 Ecolab shares worth approximately $6.0 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of Ecolab’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Ecolab receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $327.56, above its reported share price of $287.06.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.09 in EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, while declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to a 1.0% yield.

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 21,611 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $6,021,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 164.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,684,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,741,000 after buying an additional 19,324 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $287.06 on Monday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $80.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $278.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.69.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Ecolab 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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