Equitable Holdings Inc. Makes New Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,530,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,788,497,000 after purchasing an additional 4,110,472 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $880,506,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE ECL opened at $287.06 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $278.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business 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 company’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.