79,207 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Bought by Dearborn Partners LLC

Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 79,207 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,071,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $287.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $80.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $276.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.69. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.73 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.