Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Buys Shares of 20,430 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 20,430 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,705,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $276.28 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $274.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $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 (NYSE:ECL) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued 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 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded 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. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

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.