Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by First Hawaiian Bank

Key Points

• First Hawaiian Bank has reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 16.0%, now holding 6,268 shares worth approximately $1,589,000.
• Analysts have a consensus moderate buy rating for Ecolab, with an average price target of $292.00, while several firms have recently adjusted their price objectives upward.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with a payout ratio of 34.71%, set to be paid on October 15th.

First Hawaiian Bank lessened its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 16.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,268 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,196 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank's holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $18,088,000. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,886,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 13.1% in the first quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 7,725 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,958,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 2.0% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 334,051 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $84,673,000 after purchasing an additional 6,624 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $272.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.36 billion, a PE ratio of 36.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $272.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.41. 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 twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion during 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 34.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the company'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 represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

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.

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