Centaurus Financial Inc. Acquires Shares of 1,883 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $525,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,684,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $287.06 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $278.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.80. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $80.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Company 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.