Andra AP fonden Sells 27,200 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Andra AP fonden trimmed its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 27.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 71,645 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 27,200 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $19,961,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wellington Altus USA Inc. grew its position in Ecolab by 64.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Union Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Ecolab from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $4.66 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $274.64. 248,872 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,478. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $277.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $270.65. The company has a market cap of $76.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.91, a PEG ratio of 2.61 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 current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during 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 company’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

About Ecolab

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.