Two Sigma Securities LLC Invests $1.30 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 4,680 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,304,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GTS Securities LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 33.6% during the second quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 302.2% in the second quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 22,336 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,223,000 after buying an additional 16,783 shares in the last quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 16,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,700,000 after buying an additional 1,499 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,158 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,109,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullinan Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 28,979 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,074,000 after buying an additional 6,653 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday, August 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho raised their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, 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. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of ECL opened at $283.13 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27. The company has a market capitalization of $79.37 billion, a PE ratio of 38.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $278.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.73 dividend. 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 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.