NEOS Investment Management LLC Buys 5,309 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,791 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,309 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $11,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Addison Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $279.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $78.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $278.82 and its 200 day moving average is $273.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased 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 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.