Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners LLP reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 21.7%, now holding 503,537 shares valued at approximately $127.7 million, making it Ecolab's 13th largest stakeholder.
• Several hedge funds have either increased their positions or established new investments in Ecolab, with institutional investors owning 74.91% of the company's stock.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, set to be paid on October 15, representing an annualized dividend yield of 0.9%.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP reduced its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 21.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 503,537 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 139,837 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for about 2.0% of Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP owned 0.18% of Ecolab worth $127,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares during the period. Highview Capital Management LLC DE grew its holdings in Ecolab by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 8,752 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,051,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $308,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth $900,000. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,072 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,126,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:ECL traded up $3.2880 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $283.3680. 993,187 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,309,480. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $285.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.37 billion, a PE ratio of 37.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44. The business has a 50-day moving average of $268.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $259.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Company 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.