BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Purchases 43,650 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 64.3%, acquiring an additional 43,650 shares, bringing their total to 111,505 shares.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65, reflecting a 0.9% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 34.71%.
• Analyst ratings for Ecolab are mostly positive, with a current average price target of $291.21 and multiple upgrades from firms such as Robert W. Baird.

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 64.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 111,505 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 43,650 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises approximately 0.9% of BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $28,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% in 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 during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 70.6% in 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 during the period. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $274.93 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $77.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $272.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.95. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. 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 analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho raised their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $291.21.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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