Cornerstone Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 59,933 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,698,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $413,381,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $275.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 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 has a 50 day moving average of $275.00 and a 200-day moving average of $273.67. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 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 business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. 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. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently 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.