OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 5,741 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,600,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hikari Power Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth approximately $254,000. Firetrail Investments PTY Ltd. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $10,507,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $6,194,000. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $7,664,000. Finally, Insight Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at about $442,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 in the company, 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE ECL opened at $275.87 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $275.00 and its 200-day moving average is $273.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.03, a PEG ratio of 2.38 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 posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.