TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 11.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 37,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,873 shares during the quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $10,516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $16,698,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,641,000 after purchasing an additional 4,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,245,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin 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. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Ecolab Price Performance
NYSE:ECL opened at $279.91 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $278.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.17. The firm has a market cap of $78.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a PEG ratio of 2.71 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. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.
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 expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.
Ecolab Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio 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.
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