Contravisory Investment Management Inc. Acquires 1,140 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 29.5%, acquiring an additional 1,140 shares during the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to 5,007 shares valued at approximately $1.35 million.
• Several brokerages have recently adjusted their price targets for Ecolab, with Mizuho raising it from $285 to $305, while Citigroup decreased it from $320 to $315, reflecting mixed analyst outlooks.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, scheduled for payment on October 15th, representing an annualized yield of 1.0% based on current share prices.

Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 29.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,007 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,140 shares during the period. Contravisory Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,620 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,245,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 44.5% in the 2nd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 1,631 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 127,835 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,038,000 after buying an additional 7,659 shares during the last quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bath Savings Trust Co now owns 72,974 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $19,662,000 after buying an additional 969 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 95,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,638,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were 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 represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock traded up $1.39 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $266.87. The company had a trading volume of 560,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,308,079. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. The company has a 50 day moving average of $272.31 and a 200-day moving average of $261.25. The firm has a market cap of $75.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.63, a PEG ratio of 2.73 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 earnings per share 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 company 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Three equities 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 currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

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.