Saranac Partners Ltd Invests $6.96 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 24,981 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,960,000. Ecolab accounts for about 2.0% of Saranac Partners Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

ECL stock opened at $281.91 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $276.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. 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 results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 in the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.