Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management initiated a position in Ecolab during the second quarter, purchasing 11,158 shares valued at approximately $3.1 million. Institutional investors own 74.91% of Ecolab’s outstanding stock.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $2.09 versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $2.13–$2.23.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing an annualized payout of $2.92 and a 1.0% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $327.56.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,158 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,109,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801 over the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.9%

ECL stock opened at $287.03 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $80.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.69.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price 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. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

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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