Kimelman & Baird LLC Buys New Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,658 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,576,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $244,381,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 63.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,622,035 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,788,497,000 after acquiring an additional 4,110,472 shares during the period. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,022,334,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth approximately $880,506,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris acquired 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was bought 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 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. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $287.06 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $278.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.80. The stock has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The company 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 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

About Ecolab

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.