Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $620,000 in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,227 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $620,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 grew its position in Ecolab by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 486 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:ECL opened at $283.13 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $278.64 and a 200 day moving average of $273.58. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.15 and a 52 week high of $309.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The company’s 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, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

About Ecolab

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.