Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock Holdings Increased by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 205,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,670 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $56,402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.2% in the third quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 62,911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,169,000 after purchasing an additional 5,323 shares during the period. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,104,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $284,000. Robbins Farley lifted its position in Ecolab by 4,735.4% during the 3rd quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 7,785 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 7,624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 5.7% during the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 87,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,004,000 after acquiring an additional 4,728 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $262.67 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The business’s 50 day moving average is $263.07 and its 200-day moving average is $268.78.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.07. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on Ecolab from $299.00 to $291.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.57.

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.