Jump Financial LLC Cuts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Jump Financial LLC significantly reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 93.2%, now holding only 2,152 shares valued at approximately $546,000.
• Various institutional investors, including Nemes Rush Group and University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co., have increased their positions in Ecolab, demonstrating mixed sentiment among hedge funds.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, reflecting a 0.9% yield with a current dividend payout ratio of 34.71%.

Jump Financial LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 93.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,152 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 29,378 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% during the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 70.6% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,640,663.03. This represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.1%

ECL stock traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $274.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 355,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,296,341. The company has a market cap of $77.87 billion, a PE ratio of 36.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.07. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04. 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 firm's 50-day moving average is $272.44 and its 200-day moving average is $261.11.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $4.03 billion during 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 forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. 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 presently 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Mizuho raised their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group raised their price target on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.64.

About Ecolab

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.