Ayrshire Capital Management LLC Sells 2,763 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Ayrshire Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter, holding 23,041 shares worth approximately $6.21 million at the end of the period.
• Several institutional investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Auto Owners Insurance Co, significantly increased their stakes in Ecolab during the 1st quarter, showcasing strong institutional interest in the company.
• Experts remain optimistic about Ecolab's future, with multiple analysts raising their price targets and issuing "outperform" ratings, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

Ayrshire Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,041 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,763 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises about 3.0% of Ayrshire Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Ayrshire Capital Management LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 42,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,651 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 32.4% during the 1st quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 14,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,414,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares during the period. Mirabaud & Cie SA raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA now owns 5,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Mizuho upped their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.00.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL traded up $1.99 during trading on Monday, reaching $267.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,468,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,288,262. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.86 billion, a PE ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $272.30 and a 200 day moving average of $261.23. 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 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 business 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. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

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.