Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Cullinan Associates Inc.

Key Points

• Cullinan Associates Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 11.7%, owning 23,466 shares valued at approximately $6.32 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• A variety of analysts have provided a positive outlook on Ecolab, with ratings including three "Strong Buy," twelve "Buy," and five "Hold," leading to a consensus price target of $292.00.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, which translates to an annualized dividend yield of 0.9%.

Cullinan Associates Inc. grew its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,466 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,455 shares during the period. Cullinan Associates Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $805,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its position in Ecolab by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 902 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ecolab by 2.0% in the first quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted 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 worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. This represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $276.60 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $78.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $272.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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 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 yield of 0.9%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

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.

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