Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Grows Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 6.4%, owning a total of 127,835 shares valued at approximately $35 million by the end of the last reporting period.
• Several analysts have updated their price targets for Ecolab, with BMO Capital Markets raising it to $310.00 and Robert W. Baird to $306.00, reflecting positive sentiment around the stock.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 1.0%, to be paid to shareholders on record as of September 16th.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,835 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 7,659 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $35,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. 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 last quarter. 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 last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of ECL stock traded down $0.56 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $266.53. 112,840 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,306,654. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 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. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $272.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.23. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.