MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Acquires 1,365 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB has increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 1.4%, acquiring 1,365 additional shares during the 2nd quarter, bringing its total ownership to 97,403 shares valued at approximately $26.24 million.
• Several research firms have raised their price targets on Ecolab, with BMO Capital Markets increasing its target from $307.00 to $310.00 and assigning an "outperform" rating.
• Ecolab has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, payable on October 15th, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.0% and a dividend payout ratio of 34.71%.

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 97,403 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,365 shares during the quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB's holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the first 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. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the director 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $270.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $76.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13, 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. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The business's 50 day moving average is $272.54 and its 200-day moving average is $261.34.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for 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. Equities research 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.71%.

Ecolab Company 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.

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