55,569 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Acquired by Freestone Grove Partners LP

Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 55,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,482,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $286.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $80.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.88. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $278.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.70. 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 results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

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.