Focus Financial Network Inc. Cuts Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Focus Financial Network Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 36.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,996 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 5,114 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $2,506,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,649,026,000 after purchasing an additional 137,578 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 9,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,513,980. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $283.67 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.08, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. 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’s fifty day moving average is $272.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on ECL. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Company 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.