Trillium Asset Management LLC Invests $43.69 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Trillium Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 156,801 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,687,000. Ecolab comprises 1.3% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $880,506,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $413,381,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $280.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $78.70 billion, a PE ratio of 37.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $276.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.67. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued 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 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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, Citigroup raised their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Company 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.