Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd. Purchases Shares of 37,942 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Firetrail Investments acquired 37,942 Ecolab shares worth approximately $10.5 million, making Ecolab its 13th-largest holding and representing 3.0% of its portfolio. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56. Recent firms including Mizuho, BMO Capital Markets and Bank of America raised their price targets, although Zacks downgraded the stock to “strong sell.”
• Ecolab beat quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $2.09 and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equal to an annualized yield of approximately 1.1%.

Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 37,942 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $10,507,000. Ecolab accounts for 3.0% of Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research 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 given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $276.28 on Monday. The business's 50 day moving average is $274.64 and its 200 day moving average is $273.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 2.38 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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