Flputnam Investment Management Co. Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management initiated a position in Ecolab during the second quarter, buying 22,336 shares valued at approximately $6.2 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56, despite one recent “Strong Sell” downgrade from Zacks Research.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $2.09 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 1.1% yield.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 22,336 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $6,223,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

Ecolab stock opened at $276.28 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $274.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid 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 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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