Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Holdings Increased by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 12.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 343,707 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 37,483 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.1% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $95,760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other 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 directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 9,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,513,980 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $283.29 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $79.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.03, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $271.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.68.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The company 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ECL shares. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.