Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA Trims Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA lessened its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,305 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,304 shares during the quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $12,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Associated Banc Corp increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 15.1% during the third quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 1,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 24.8% during the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 14.7% during the third quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 1,187 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH lifted its position in Ecolab by 4.9% in the third quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH now owns 14,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,970,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.92.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $271.74 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $263.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. 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 (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Ecolab 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.