SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Acquires New Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• SBI Okasan Asset Management disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Ecolab, buying 6,000 shares valued at about $1.59 million.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.70 matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 10% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, payable July 15, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $322.53.

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 6,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,593,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 13,560 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,560,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 2,052 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 109,600 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,773 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc now owns 3,623 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The purchase 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 stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:ECL opened at $260.45 on Friday. 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 $73.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $262.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.52.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price target (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $326.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

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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