Czech National Bank Has $20.09 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,097 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,673 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $20,087,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $86,670,000 after purchasing an additional 68,062 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 4,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S increased its holdings in Ecolab by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 251,977 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $66,149,000 after purchasing an additional 20,247 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired 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 represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased a total of 9,750 shares of company stock worth $2,513,980 in the last ninety days. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE ECL opened at $284.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $80.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $272.17 and its 200-day moving average is $273.76. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The business 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 firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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