Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Increases Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 9.9%, owning over 185,000 shares valued at approximately $46.9 million.
• Multiple hedge funds are adjusting their positions in Ecolab, with notable increases including 176.7% from Dunhill Financial LLC and new stakes from Saudi Central Bank.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65, set to be paid on October 15th, with its stock currently yielding 1.0%.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 9.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 185,025 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,600 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.07% of Ecolab worth $46,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ECL. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock traded up $1.65 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $275.21. 1,577,573 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,303,575. The stock has a market cap of $78.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.74, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.07. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04. The stock's 50-day moving average is $272.56 and its 200 day moving average is $261.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,165.28. This represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of Ecolab 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 owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.