Saudi Central Bank Acquires 8,384 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Saudi Central Bank raised its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 89.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,793 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 8,384 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank's holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $16,698,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,641,000 after acquiring an additional 4,886 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,245,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

ECL stock opened at $279.91 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $278.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin Clark acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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