Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Albion Financial Group UT

Key Points

• Albion Financial Group UT reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 45.3%, holding 6,099 shares valued at approximately $1.64 million after selling 5,049 shares in the second quarter.
• The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.01, with a revenue of $4.03 billion, meeting consensus expectations.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 1.0%, reflecting a payout ratio of 34.71%.

Albion Financial Group UT trimmed its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 45.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,099 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,049 shares during the quarter. Albion Financial Group UT's holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wedmont Private Capital increased its stake in Ecolab by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $805,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.8% in the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 5.0% in the first quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 902 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $271.04 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $272.33 and its 200-day moving average is $261.52. The company has a market cap of $76.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.07. 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 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 earnings results 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). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other 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 cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed 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 on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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