Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Boosts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 1,189.2% during Q1, owning 144,392 shares valued at approximately $36.6 million at the end of the quarter.
• Wall Street analysts are generally positive about Ecolab, with a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $292.00 on the stock.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, which will be paid on October 15th, translating to an annual yield of 0.9%.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1,189.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 144,392 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 133,192 shares during the quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI owned about 0.05% of Ecolab worth $36,606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted 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 valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,108.84. The trade was a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $6.20 on Thursday, hitting $275.29. 930,495 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,168,790. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $272.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.36.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Citigroup lowered their price target 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, Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.