Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Strs Ohio

Strs Ohio trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 35.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,821 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 32,570 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Ecolab by 64.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,773,000 after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,104,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Ecolab by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 205,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $56,402,000 after buying an additional 4,670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter worth $13,533,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $281.92 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $286.04. The firm has a market cap of $79.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.51, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $267.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $269.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. Research analysts forecast 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 issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.00.

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.