Iyo Bank Ltd. Buys Shares of 13,950 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Iyo Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 13,950 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,887,000. Ecolab accounts for about 1.2% of Iyo Bank Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801 over the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup raised their target price 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. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $276.56 and its 200-day moving average is $273.73. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

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.