MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Reduces Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 23.1%, holding 27,668 shares worth $7,011,000 after selling 8,329 shares in the first quarter.
• Ecolab reported earnings per share of $1.89 for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations slightly, while the company provided guidance of 2.020-2.120 EPS for Q3 2025.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an annual yield of 1.0%, scheduled for payment on October 15th to shareholders recorded by September 16th.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 23.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 8,329 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

Ecolab stock opened at $269.32 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $76.38 billion, a PE ratio of 35.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.07. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $272.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $261.28.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given 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 payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $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. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Mizuho increased their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

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.

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