Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Makes New $775,000 Investment in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,783 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $775,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. The trade was a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 28,866 shares of company stock worth $7,878,801 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $280.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $276.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.67.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Monday. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

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.