Chicago Capital LLC Acquires 2,011 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Chicago Capital LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 11.8%, acquiring an additional 2,011 shares in the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to 19,037 shares valued at approximately $5.1 million.
• Ecolab's recent quarterly earnings report indicated an EPS of $1.89, which fell slightly short of analysts' expectations of $1.90, while the company projected Q3 2025 EPS guidance between $2.020 and $2.120.
• The firm has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, set to be paid on October 15th, representing a 1.0% yield and a total annual dividend of $2.60.

Chicago Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,037 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,011 shares during the quarter. Chicago Capital LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $272.72 on Tuesday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $272.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.41, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.07.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 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 business had revenue of $4.03 billion for 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. As a group, analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ECL. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.00.

About Ecolab

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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