OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd Invests $3.96 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 14,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,959,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,327,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,649,026,000 after buying an additional 137,578 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $6,422,340,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings 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 worth $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Ecolab by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,883,084 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,069,468,000 after purchasing an additional 441,747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,635,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 46,569 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $280.73 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $276.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.67.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. 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, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 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, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% 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 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.