514,890 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Man Group plc

Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 514,890 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,454,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $251,725,000. J. Goldman & Co LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,939,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $324,186,000. EFG International AG purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $957,000. Finally, Dayah Capital LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,179,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock opened at $290.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $277.24 and a 200-day moving average of $273.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.15 and a 12 month high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its 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 net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business 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 firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

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.