Bank of America Corp DE Has $523.34 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Bank of America reduced its Ecolab stake by 12% in the first quarter, selling 269,457 shares but still holding 1.97 million shares valued at approximately $523.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab reported quarterly earnings of $2.09 per share and revenue of $4.42 billion, narrowly beating estimates, while revenue increased 9.7% year over year. The company guided for third-quarter EPS of $2.13–$2.23.
• Ecolab’s shares opened at $277.83, and analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $327.56 price target. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73, equivalent to a 1.1% annual yield.

Bank of America Corp DE trimmed its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 12.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,967,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 269,457 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned 0.70% of Ecolab worth $523,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris purchased 7,750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $258.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,148,108. The trade was a 1,345.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 over the last 90 days. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.5%

ECL opened at $277.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $78.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.29, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company's 50 day moving average is $269.59 and its 200-day moving average is $273.46. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.

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