Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Makes New $131 Million Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 470,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,003,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth about $495,109,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,036,000. Sone Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $20,990,000. Peak Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $2,946,000. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $54,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $290.87 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $277.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.73. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $81.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced 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 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 the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors 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 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.