Intech Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 19.9%, owning 19,714 shares valued at approximately $4.998 million after acquiring an additional 3,276 shares in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Saudi Central Bank and Dunhill Financial LLC, have made significant adjustments to their holdings in Ecolab, contributing to over 74.91% of the stock being owned by hedge funds and institutional investors.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, reflecting an annualized payout of $2.60 with a dividend yield of 1.0%, set to be paid on October 15th.

Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 19.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,714 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,276 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup lowered 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 note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.00.

Ecolab Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE ECL traded down $6.59 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $264.02. 1,254,878 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,299,987. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company's 50 day moving average price is $272.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $261.34. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 34.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the company'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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently 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.