Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Sells 1,910 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. cut its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,930 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,910 shares during the period. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,745,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE boosted its stake in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE now owns 20,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,544,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.0% in the third quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 12,285 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,364,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 7.4% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,634,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Finally, Baer Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baer Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,359 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,468,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $277.20 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04. The company has a market capitalization of $78.51 billion, a PE ratio of 39.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. The company has a fifty day moving average of $265.46 and a 200-day moving average of $269.20.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 41.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI raised Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $295.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.04% 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.