Ecolab Inc. $ECL Position Cut by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 9.1%, owning approximately 309,964 shares worth $78.58 million after selling 31,204 shares in the first quarter.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an ex-dividend date on September 16th, representing an annualized yield of 0.9%.
• Analyst ratings for Ecolab show a consensus of “Moderate Buy”, with an average price target of $291.21 following several recent upgrades and downgrades.

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 9.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 309,964 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 31,204 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.11% of Ecolab worth $78,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $8,649,000. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Ecolab by 3.9% during the first quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 128,901 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,350,000 after acquiring an additional 4,803 shares during the period. Credit Agricole S A grew its holdings in Ecolab by 0.7% during the first quarter. Credit Agricole S A now owns 183,465 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $46,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 6,420 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the business's 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 sale, the director owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,171,108.84. The trade was a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly 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. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Ecolab stock opened at $283.3680 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $80.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.06. 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 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $285.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $268.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.19.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders 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 0.9%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

Ecolab Company 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.

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