Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Invests $515,000 in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,845 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at about $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $287.06 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.80. The company has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.