Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stake Increased by Acadian Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 2.0%, totaling 334,051 shares valued at approximately $84.67 million.
• Ecolab's recent analyst ratings show a range of opinions, with a current average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price around $292.00.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with a payout ratio of 34.71%, to be paid on October 15th.

Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 2.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 334,051 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,624 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Ecolab worth $84,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% during the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,108.84. The trade was a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $268.63 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The stock has a market cap of $76.19 billion, a PE ratio of 35.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $272.64 and a 200-day moving average of $261.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The business had revenue of $4.03 billion during 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

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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