Rockland Trust Co. Acquires 2,349 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Rockland Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,832 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,349 shares during the quarter. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. 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 stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $880,506,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Ecolab by 26,152.0% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 945,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,810,000 after buying an additional 941,472 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 58.8% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $596,902,000 after buying an additional 830,726 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 9,750 shares of company stock worth $2,513,980. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $284.86 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 company has a market capitalization of $80.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $272.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.76. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released 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 company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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. On average, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

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.