Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stake Lessened by Quilter Plc

Quilter Plc decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,056 shares during the quarter. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $15,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC now owns 989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in Ecolab by 17.6% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 68,713 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,818,000 after purchasing an additional 10,292 shares in the last quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,308 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $632,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 3,841 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $296.00.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $281.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.51, a PEG ratio of 2.44 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $267.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $269.42.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 41.95%.

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.