Sone Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 75,337 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,990,000. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.6% of Sone Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.
Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake 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 worth $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801 in the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Ecolab Trading Up 1.9%
NYSE ECL opened at $287.03 on Tuesday. 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. The company has a market capitalization 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $276.92 and a 200 day moving average of $273.69.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
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 given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.
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