4,043 Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,758 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,043 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises 1.3% of Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Trillium Asset Management LLC owned 0.05% of Ecolab worth $41,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,422,340,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $244,381,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $578,923,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $495,109,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $413,381,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ecolab from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings raised Ecolab from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on Ecolab from $344.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.00.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $308.12 per share, for a total transaction of $184,872.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,080,447. The trade was a 2.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ecolab

Here are a few of the latest headlines about ECL:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Ecolab from Equal Weight to Overweight and raised its price target to $380 from $315—about 23% above the cited share price. The firm highlighted the CoolIT and Ovivo acquisitions and potential to benefit from AI data-center cooling needs. This water technology stock is set to get a big boost from AI, says Wells Fargo Ecolab upgraded at Wells Fargo, touting CoolIT and Ovivo acquisitions
• Positive Sentiment: Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares for roughly $184,900 at an average price of $308.12, increasing his holdings by 2.34%. Insider buying can signal confidence in the company’s prospects. Ecolab Director David Maclennan Acquires 600 Shares

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL traded up $4.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $309.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,208,454 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,678. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $286.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $277.54. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $318.93. The firm has a market cap of $86.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.04, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.85.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18. The company had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.70 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 11.99%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.07 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc. provides water, hygiene, cleaning and infection-prevention products and services to businesses and institutions. Its solutions help customers manage water use, maintain sanitary environments and support operational efficiency. The company serves a range of industries, including food and beverage, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences and manufacturing. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing products, water-treatment programs, pest-elimination services, and related monitoring and consulting support.