AMI Asset Management Corp Sells 5,920 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

AMI Asset Management Corp reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 107,114 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,920 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up 1.6% of AMI Asset Management Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. AMI Asset Management Corp's holdings in Ecolab were worth $28,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% during the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 70.6% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $269.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.09. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $272.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.81.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. The trade was a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ECL. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

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.

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