Nvest Financial LLC Buys 2,378 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Nvest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,394 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,378 shares during the quarter. Nvest Financial LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Ecolab by 63.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after buying an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $880,506,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $279.91 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The firm has a market cap of $78.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $278.82 and a 200 day moving average of $273.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab’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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Benjamin Clark bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

About Ecolab

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.