Flputnam Investment Management Co. Has $6.22 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 302.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,336 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,783 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Ecolab by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at approximately $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at approximately $16,698,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,641,000 after purchasing an additional 4,886 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm’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 value of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $287.06 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $80.47 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $278.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.80.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. On average, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.