75,740 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 75,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,102,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $695,000. Iyo Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,887,000. TRB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $246,000. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,244,000. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at approximately $453,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock valued at $7,878,801. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $281.91 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $276.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.73. The stock has a market cap of $79.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 2.43 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. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 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.