Gradient Investments LLC Sells 10,310 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Gradient Investments LLC cut its Ecolab position by 12.9% in the third quarter, selling 10,310 shares and retaining 69,438 shares valued at approximately $19.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab shares rose 1.2% to $281.56, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $2.09—slightly above estimates—and revenue of $4.42 billion, up 9.7% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73, or $2.92 annually, yielding about 1.0%; analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $327.67.

Gradient Investments LLC reduced its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 69,438 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 10,310 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $19,066,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wellington Altus USA Inc. lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Altus USA Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE ECL traded up $3.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $281.56. 344,590 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,443,541. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $279.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $270.64. The stock has a market cap of $78.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.87. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The firm's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.67.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc NYSE: ECL is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and related services. The company helps businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations through specialized products, technologies, equipment and on-site expertise.

Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing solutions, water treatment and process-management systems, food safety programs, infection prevention products, pest elimination services and solutions for industrial operations. Ecolab serves customers in industries including hospitality, healthcare, food and beverage production, life sciences, manufacturing, energy, retail and institutional services.

The company was founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory and adopted the Ecolab name in 1986.

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