Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires Shares of 75,740 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 75,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,102,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 in the last three months. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.03 billion, a PE ratio of 37.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $276.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.73. 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 (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Monday, August 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

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.