First National Bank of Omaha Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

First National Bank of Omaha bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 15,441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,302,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 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, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target 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. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $280.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $78.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $275.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.66. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

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.