Greenleaf Trust Reduces Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Greenleaf Trust has reduced its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 10.8%, selling 1,600 shares and bringing its total to 13,220 shares worth approximately $3.56 million.
• Analysts have generally positive outlooks for Ecolab, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target increase to $292.00.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, set to be paid on October 15, which translates to an annualized yield of 0.9%.

Greenleaf Trust decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 10.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,220 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,600 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $273.80 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $272.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $261.75. The company has a market capitalization of $77.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.56, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.