29,649 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Acquired by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 29,649 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,261,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $6,960,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $8,127,000. Elefante Mark B bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $279,000. Haverford Trust Co acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth about $328,000. Finally, Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $9,451,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

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 stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 over the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.9%

ECL opened at $287.03 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $276.92 and a 200-day moving average of $273.69. The stock has a market cap of $80.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts predict 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.