Aberdeen Group plc Acquires 39,264 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter, acquiring an additional 39,264 shares to total 369,535 shares worth approximately $98.85 million.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 1.0%, set to be paid on October 15th to investors of record on September 16th.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Ecolab, with a price target averaging $292.29, reflecting optimism following recent upgrades from investment firms.

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 369,535 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,264 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.13% of Ecolab worth $98,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strong Tower Advisory Services raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 12,844 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,461,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $415,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,166 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $853,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,838 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,577,000 after buying an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP grew its holdings in Ecolab by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP now owns 36,203 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $9,755,000 after buying an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,208,165.28. This represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $271.80 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $77.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $274.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.97. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.29.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.

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