The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Lowers Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 136,762 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,859 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company's holdings in Ecolab were worth $36,380,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $279.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $269.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $78.62 billion, a PE ratio of 37.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.89. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

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, 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 10,550 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,508. Company 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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