Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stock: Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. Lowers Holdings

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 30.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,900 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,500 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for approximately 0.7% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $6,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ECL. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,422,340,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,617,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,007,851,000 after acquiring an additional 51,712 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 3.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,412,057 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $641,609,000 after purchasing an additional 88,096 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 58.8% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,243,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $596,902,000 after purchasing an additional 830,726 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth $578,923,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $292.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $81.95 billion, a PE ratio of 36.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $280.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.41.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $342.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Ecolab from $287.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $324.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and cleaning solutions for businesses and institutions. The company helps customers manage water and energy use, maintain sanitary operations, protect food supplies and comply with health and safety standards.

Ecolab serves customers across industries including food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, institutional facilities and energy. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, water-treatment and process-management systems, pest-control services, kitchen and housekeeping products, infection-prevention programs, and related equipment, training and consulting services.

Founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory, the company has expanded from its original focus on cleaning products into a broad range of technology-enabled services and solutions.

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