OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd Acquires Shares of 127,045 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. acquired 127,045 Ecolab shares worth approximately $35.4 million, making Ecolab 0.8% of its portfolio; institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Ecolab’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with earnings of $2.09 per share and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $2.13–$2.23.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $327.56 price target versus the stock’s reported $280.73 price. Ecolab also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, yielding about 1.0% annually.

OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 127,045 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $35,396,000. Ecolab makes up 0.8% of OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,649,026,000 after acquiring an additional 137,578 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Ecolab by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $280.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $276.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 2.46 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.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm 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%.The firm's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Ecolab 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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