Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 20,902 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,824,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $278.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $78.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $278.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $272.66.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. 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, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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 assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, infection prevention and technology solutions to businesses and institutions worldwide. Its customers include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers and other organizations that rely on safe, efficient and sustainable operating environments.

The company’s offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment and process-management systems, food-safety programs, infection-prevention solutions and pest-elimination services.