NBT Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,677 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,108,000.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $16,698,000. Saudi Central Bank increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 89.1% during the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 17,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,957,000 after purchasing an additional 8,384 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $31,932,000. Finally, Moore Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,298,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.
Ecolab Trading Up 1.5%
NYSE ECL opened at $292.32 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $280.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.41. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. 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 firm has a market cap of $81.95 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.87.
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Mizuho upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Zacks Research upgraded Ecolab from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.50.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Ecolab
Ecolab Profile
Ecolab Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and cleaning solutions for businesses and institutions. The company helps customers manage water and energy use, maintain sanitary operations, protect food supplies and comply with health and safety standards.
Ecolab serves customers across industries including food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, institutional facilities and energy. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, water-treatment and process-management systems, pest-control services, kitchen and housekeeping products, infection-prevention programs, and related equipment, training and consulting services.
Founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory, the company has expanded from its original focus on cleaning products into a broad range of technology-enabled services and solutions.
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