Plato Investment Management Ltd Purchases Shares of 22,363 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management purchased 22,363 Ecolab shares worth approximately $6.2 million, while institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of the company.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.09 EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, representing 9.7% year-over-year growth. The company issued third-quarter 2026 EPS guidance of $2.13–$2.23.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to a 1.1% yield, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $327.56.

Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 22,363 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $6,194,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th 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 period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $1,022,334,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $276.28 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a PEG 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. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $274.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.73. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective 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. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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