Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 1.0%, acquiring an additional 7,976 shares, bringing its total ownership to 773,487 shares valued at approximately $196 million.
• Wall Street analysts have raised their ratings for Ecolab, with Robert W. Baird upgrading it to an "outperform" rating and increasing the price target from $273 to $300.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, representing an annualized yield of 0.9%, with the payment date set for October 15th.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 773,487 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,976 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.27% of Ecolab worth $196,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% during the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $291.21.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of ECL stock traded up $0.5990 on Friday, reaching $283.6590. 1,149,487 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,193,302. The stock has a market cap of $80.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $269.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.84. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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