9,740 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by S&G Foundation

S&G Foundation bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 9,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,714,000. Ecolab makes up 0.1% of S&G Foundation’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ecolab by 63.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $880,506,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $413,381,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average is $276.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts forecast 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 $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped 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. 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 research report on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801. 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.