Empowered Funds LLC Purchases Shares of 21,611 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 21,611 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,021,000.

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

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of ECL opened at $287.06 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.53, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $278.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.69. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. 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. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average 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.