Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Boosts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 117.9%, owning 3,315 shares valued at $842,000 by the end of the first quarter.
• Ecolab reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90, while the company's total revenue matched analyst expectations at $4.03 billion.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share to be paid on October 15th, representing a 1.0% dividend yield.

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 117.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,315 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 1,794 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 70.6% in the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL opened at $269.32 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The company has a market capitalization of $76.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $272.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.00.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab 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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