6,616 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Acquired by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,843,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $16,698,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 29.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,245,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $281.91 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average is $276.56 and its 200-day moving average is $273.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.03 billion, a PE ratio of 37.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total transaction of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

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.