Rockland Trust Co. Has $16.39 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Rockland Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,832 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,349 shares during the quarter. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 9,750 shares of company stock worth $2,513,980. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of ECL opened at $284.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84. The company has a market cap of $80.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.24, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $272.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.76. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 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 company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

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.