Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd Takes Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 40,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,196,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $16,698,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 4,886 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $281.91 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $276.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.66. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27. 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 released 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. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion during 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%.Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho boosted their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.