Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by First Merchants Corp

Key Points

• First Merchants Corp significantly increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 409.7%, acquiring an additional 17,257 shares during the second quarter, bringing its total to 21,469 shares valued at approximately $5.8 million.
• Several institutional investors, including the Saudi Central Bank, acquired new positions in Ecolab, resulting in 74.91% of the stock being owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with the payout representing a 0.9% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 34.71%.

First Merchants Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 409.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,469 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,257 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp's holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 176.7% during the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 70.6% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ECL. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.29.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:ECL opened at $281.35 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $273.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.69.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.9%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

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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