Wealthfront Advisers LLC Takes $9.99 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 35,850 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,988,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth 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 boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $285.28 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.97 billion, a PE ratio of 38.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $275.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.