22,576 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Bought by Northstar Group Inc.

Northstar Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 22,576 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,290,000. Ecolab accounts for about 0.8% of Northstar Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ECL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $276.28 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $77.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.