470,202 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Acquired by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 470,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,003,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.17% of Ecolab as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $290.87 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $277.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.73. The stock has a market cap of $81.54 billion, a PE ratio of 39.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

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. The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.56.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Benjamin M. Clark acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 1,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Company 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.