Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 40,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,196,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Findlay Park Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $16,698,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,641,000 after purchasing an additional 4,886 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $281.91 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $276.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.66. The firm has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’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 research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday, August 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

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.