Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Corebridge Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Corebridge Financial Inc. has reduced its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 3.8%, now owning 64,165 shares valued at approximately $16.27 million.
• Several hedge funds recently increased or initiated positions in Ecolab, with Dunhill Financial LLC significantly boosting its stake by 176.7%.
• Ecolab recently reported earnings per share of $1.89 for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations of $1.90.

Corebridge Financial Inc. reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,165 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,510 shares during the quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thematics Asset Management grew its position in Ecolab by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Thematics Asset Management now owns 151,714 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $38,463,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in Ecolab by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 15,812 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,009,000 after acquiring an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,326,000. APG Asset Management N.V. grew its position in Ecolab by 68.2% in the 1st quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 418,491 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $98,219,000 after acquiring an additional 169,724 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,138 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,033,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. The trade was a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup cut their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $291.21.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL traded down $1.82 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $277.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 925,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,081,829. The stock has a market cap of $78.62 billion, a PE ratio of 37.01, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.06. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The company's 50-day moving average is $271.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.