6,472 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Bought by Dockside LLC

Dockside LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 6,472 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,803,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kampmann Melissa S. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Kampmann Melissa S. now owns 13,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,746,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $274.64 and a 200-day moving average of $273.80. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ECL. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target 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, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. 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 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.