Northstar Group Inc. Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Northstar Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 22,576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,290,000. Ecolab makes up about 0.8% of Northstar Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Ecolab by 49.4% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $274.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.80. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. 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 company has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One equities research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab 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.