1,777,070 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Purchased by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 1,777,070 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,109,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,870,000 after purchasing an additional 6,238 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in Ecolab by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at about $115,674,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $16,698,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,641,000 after acquiring an additional 4,886 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $290.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $277.24 and a 200-day moving average of $273.71. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.15 and a 12-month high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued 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 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $263.83 per share, for a total transaction of $263,830.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.