8,472 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Global Retirement Partners LLC

Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 8,472 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,360,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of ECL opened at $276.28 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $274.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.73.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company 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 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 yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. The trade was a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America upped their price target on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.