Allstate Corp Grows Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Allstate Corp increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 72.4% in the first quarter, now owning 13,171 shares valued at approximately $3.34 million.
• Ecolab's stock has received several analyst upgrades, with Mizuho raising its price target from $285 to $305 and Robert W. Baird upgrading it to "outperform" with a target of $300.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, expected to be paid on October 15th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 0.9%.

Allstate Corp lifted its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 72.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,533 shares during the period. Allstate Corp's holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $0.71 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $279.07. 1,817,272 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,309,288. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.15 billion, a PE ratio of 37.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.06. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $270.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $260.20. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. 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 (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid 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 (DPR) is 34.71%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Three 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

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.