Groupe la Francaise Increases Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Groupe la Francaise lifted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 35.3% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 26,505 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,909 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.1% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 3,576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Vancity Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vancity Investment Management Ltd now owns 2,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $797,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Michel Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $279.91 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $278.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $272.83. The firm has a market cap of $78.47 billion, a PE ratio of 37.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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