Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

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Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 833,473 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 106,030 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.29% of Ecolab worth $210,793,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ECL traded up $0.5990 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $283.6590. The company had a trading volume of 1,149,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,202,153. The company has a market capitalization of $80.45 billion, a PE ratio of 37.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.06. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $269.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.98.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

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.