Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Mirova

Key Points

• Mirova has reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 3.3%, selling 5,480 shares and now holding 159,076 shares valued at approximately $40.3 million.
• Several large institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs, have increased their holdings in Ecolab, indicating strong investor confidence in the company.
• Ecolab recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.89 for the last quarter, slightly missing the consensus estimate, and is guiding for Q3 2025 EPS between $2.020 and $2.120.

Mirova lessened its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,076 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,480 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for about 7.3% of Mirova's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Mirova owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab worth $40,329,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 42,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,876,000 after acquiring an additional 2,651 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 32.4% in the 1st quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 14,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 15.6% during the first quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 5,576 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,414,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.1% during the first quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA now owns 5,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,291,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 19.3% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 120,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,467,000 after purchasing an additional 19,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL stock traded down $1.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $278.01. 181,079 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,297,476. The stock's fifty day moving average is $271.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.70. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The company has a market cap of $78.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 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 (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 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 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ECL shares. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $291.21.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total value of $383,398.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,640,663.03. This represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.