Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 10.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 99,065 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 9,581 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $27,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. 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 research report on Thursday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $278.45 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $278.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $272.66. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.38, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. 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 (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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, infection prevention and technology solutions to businesses and institutions worldwide. Its customers include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers and other organizations that rely on safe, efficient and sustainable operating environments.

The company’s offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment and process-management systems, food-safety programs, infection-prevention solutions and pest-elimination services.