Nordea Investment Management AB Raises Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,652,797 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 39,795 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $452,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.7% during the third quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 3,046 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $834,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Ecolab by 17.8% during the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 13,885 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,803,000 after purchasing an additional 2,095 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 614,020 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $168,156,000 after buying an additional 7,584 shares in the last quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 185.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter valued at $372,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:ECL opened at $270.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $263.89 and a 200 day moving average of $269.02. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $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. On average, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI raised Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.92.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 purchase, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.