Leeward Financial Partners LLC Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Leeward Financial Partners initiated a roughly $5.1 million position in Ecolab during the second quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56; five firms recently raised or maintained targets between $327 and $360.
• Ecolab slightly 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, yielding about 1.1% annually.

Leeward Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 18,338 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $5,109,000. Ecolab makes up approximately 1.3% of Leeward Financial Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $274.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.80. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G 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 earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The company 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%.Ecolab's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business 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 Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend 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%.

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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