Amundi Has $574.56 Million Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Amundi reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 8.3% in Q1 2023, now owning approximately $574.56 million worth of shares.
• Recent insider trading shows SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares, while Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares, reflecting mixed sentiments among company executives.
• Ecolab has received various analyst upgrades, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $291.21, reflecting positive market expectations.

Amundi lessened its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,291,992 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 207,765 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.81% of Ecolab worth $574,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 42,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,876,000 after buying an additional 2,651 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its holdings in Ecolab by 32.4% in the 1st quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 14,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,551,000 after buying an additional 3,428 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 15.6% in the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,414,000 after buying an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA raised its holdings in Ecolab by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA now owns 5,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,291,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 120,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,467,000 after buying an additional 19,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of Ecolab stock traded down $1.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $273.56. 1,243,998 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,107,140. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $272.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $261.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.59 billion, a PE ratio of 36.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.07.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given 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 is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.64.

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.