Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Acquires New Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas acquired 20,430 Ecolab shares worth approximately $5.7 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Ecolab reported quarterly earnings of $2.09 per share and revenue of $4.42 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue increased 9.7% year over year. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $2.13–$2.23.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Ecolab carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $327.56 versus a share price of $276.28. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, yielding about 1.1% annually.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 20,430 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $5,705,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $276.28 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $274.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. The firm's 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target 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. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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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