Global Strategic Investment Solutions LLC Invests $617,000 in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Global Strategic Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $617,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in Ecolab by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 330,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,670,000 after acquiring an additional 68,062 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 38.7% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,870,000 after acquiring an additional 6,238 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 163,731 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $43,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $16,698,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 21,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,641,000 after buying an additional 4,886 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. The trade was a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 1.6%

ECL opened at $280.36 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $275.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

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.