The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys New Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased 129,342 Ecolab shares worth approximately $36.0 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56; several firms recently raised their targets or upgraded the stock.
• Ecolab exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.09 EPS and $4.42 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 9.7% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 1.0% annualized yield.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 129,342 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $36,036,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 buying an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings 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 valued at $2,069,468,000 after acquiring an additional 441,747 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $290.87 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $277.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $81.54 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Ecolab 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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