Jupiter Topco LLC Invests $251.72 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 903,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $251,725,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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 target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $290.87 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $81.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $277.68 and its 200 day moving average is $273.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.