Everett Harris & Co. CA Buys Shares of 73,815 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Everett Harris & Co. CA purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 73,815 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,566,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents 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.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $274.64 and its 200-day moving average is $273.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. 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 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 issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup raised their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

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.