North Star Asset Management Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

North Star Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 79,378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,115,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $6,021,000. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $2,901,000. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $19,643,000. Hamilton Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at $340,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $2,530,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE ECL opened at $286.13 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $278.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.70. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. 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 company has a market capitalization of $80.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly 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. 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 previous year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upped their target price 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. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab 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, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was 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 $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

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.