Corient Private Wealth LP Reduces Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Corient Private Wealth LP lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 10.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 850,058 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 97,463 shares during the quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $236,839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $16,698,000. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $2,245,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $880,506,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.2%

Ecolab stock opened at $271.72 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.47, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $278.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $272.23. 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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are the key news stories impacting Ecolab this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option buying suggests increased bullish interest. Traders purchased 2,926 call options, approximately 241% above the average volume of 858 contracts, although options activity does not guarantee a sustained stock move.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Ecolab from “strong sell” to “hold,” reducing a significant source of negative analyst sentiment. Ecolab upgraded by Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: Ecolab’s growth profile continues to benefit from high-tech customers, digital expansion and innovation. The company also delivered solid second-quarter results, with revenue growth and earnings slightly exceeding consensus estimates. Here’s Why You Should Retain Ecolab Stock in Your Portfolio Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s third-quarter earnings guidance of $2.13 to $2.23 per share provides a framework for continued profit growth, while analysts project full-year earnings of $8.17 per share.
• Negative Sentiment: Cost fluctuations remain a key risk because they could pressure margins and offset benefits from digital initiatives, innovation and revenue growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Ecolab underperformed its competitors during the latest session, and the stock recently experienced additional selling pressure. The relative weakness suggests investors remain cautious despite the company’s fundamentally solid results. Ecolab Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) provides water, hygiene, infection prevention and technology solutions to businesses and institutions worldwide. Its customers include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, manufacturers, food and beverage companies, retailers and other organizations that rely on safe, efficient and sustainable operating environments.

The company’s offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment and process-management systems, food-safety programs, infection-prevention solutions and pest-elimination services.