Freestone Grove Partners LP Invests $15.48 Million in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 55,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,482,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $727,000. Man Group plc purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $143,454,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $251,725,000. J. Goldman & Co LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $34,939,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at about $324,186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $286.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $80.21 billion, a PE ratio of 38.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $278.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84. 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 results 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 business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at $285,727.89. This trade represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. The trade was 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 company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.