Erste Asset Management GmbH Buys 4,803 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 3.9% in the first quarter, owning 128,901 shares valued at approximately $32.35 million.
• Several large investors, including Credit Agricole S A and BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S, have also increased their stakes in Ecolab, showing strong institutional interest.
• Ecolab recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65, with a payout ratio of 34.71%, maintaining a healthy dividend yield of 0.9% for shareholders.

Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,901 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,803 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Ecolab were worth $32,350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Credit Agricole S A grew its position 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 valued at $46,512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306 shares during the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.7% during the first quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 6,420 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 0.3% during the first quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 33,521 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $8,364,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 28.2% during the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 115,692 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,330,000 after purchasing an additional 25,473 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% during the first quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

ECL stock traded up $0.5990 on Friday, reaching $283.6590. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,149,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,193,302. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $269.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $259.91. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The firm has a market cap of $80.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.06. 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 announced its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 34.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note 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 issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

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.