125,405 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Acquired by J. Goldman & Co LP

J. Goldman & Co LP acquired a new stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 125,405 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,939,000. Ecolab comprises 0.9% of J. Goldman & Co LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.1%

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 price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $277.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.