Burnham & Co LLC Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Burnham & Co LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 3,820 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,064,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $281.91 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $276.56 and its 200 day moving average is $273.73. The company 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 fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid 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 presently 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Mizuho lifted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research lowered Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.