TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. Purchases 3,873 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• TD Waterhouse Canada increased its Ecolab stake by 11.4%, purchasing 3,873 shares to bring its holdings to 37,748 shares valued at approximately $10.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.56. Recent actions included upgrades from Citigroup and Oppenheimer, although Zacks Research issued a “Strong Sell” downgrade.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.09 in earnings per share and $4.42 billion in revenue, up 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.0% annualized yield.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 37,748 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,873 shares during the quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 209 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ECL. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $279.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $278.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.17. The firm has a market cap of $78.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michel Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

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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