Robinhood Asset Management LLC Makes New $17.40 Million Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Robinhood Asset Management acquired 62,460 Ecolab shares worth approximately $17.4 million, making Ecolab about 0.9% of its portfolio. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $2.09 and revenue of $4.42 billion, narrowly beating estimates, while revenue increased 9.7% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $327.56.
• Ecolab declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.92 dividend and a 1.0% yield. Meanwhile, company insiders have sold 28,866 shares worth approximately $7.9 million over the past 90 days.

Robinhood Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 62,460 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $17,402,000. Ecolab makes up approximately 0.9% of Robinhood Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 in the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday. Mizuho increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $276.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.73. 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 $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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