M. Kulyk & Associates LLC Invests $10.57 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

M. Kulyk & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 37,946 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,572,000. Ecolab comprises about 1.7% of M. Kulyk & Associates LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after acquiring an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 39.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 22.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,096 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,684,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 49.4% during the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 58,421 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,741,000 after purchasing an additional 19,324 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $280.36 on Wednesday. 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 $78.59 billion, a PE ratio of 37.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $275.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.66. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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 given 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 payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.