Gradient Investments LLC Lowers Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Gradient Investments reduced its Ecolab stake by 14.1% in the second quarter, selling 13,109 shares and retaining 79,748 shares valued at approximately $22.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.09 in EPS on $4.42 billion in revenue, with revenue rising 9.7% year over year. The company issued third-quarter EPS guidance of $2.13–$2.23.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56, above the stock’s reported $284.86 price. Ecolab also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share.

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,748 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 13,109 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $22,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 164.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake 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 valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,684,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,741,000 after acquiring an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $284.86 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $272.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.76. 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 stock has a market cap of $80.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities research 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, 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. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 9,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,513,980 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

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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