Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Oak Ridge Investments LLC

Key Points

• Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 6.1% during the first quarter, now holding 51,597 shares valued at approximately $13.08 million.
• Several other institutional investors have also expanded their positions in Ecolab, contributing to a 74.91% institutional ownership of the company.
• Ecolab recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, which will be distributed on October 15th, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.9%.

Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,597 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,962 shares during the quarter. Ecolab comprises about 1.1% of Oak Ridge Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Oak Ridge Investments LLC's holdings in Ecolab were worth $13,081,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ECL. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 27,182.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,813,175 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $459,676,000 after buying an additional 1,806,529 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $337,563,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 27,677.8% in the 1st quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 1,000,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $253,520,000 after buying an additional 996,400 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Ecolab by 79.6% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,260,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $319,641,000 after purchasing an additional 558,947 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Ecolab by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,129,058 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $733,201,000 after purchasing an additional 514,944 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 1.0%

Ecolab stock traded up $2.8420 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $282.9220. The stock had a trading volume of 391,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,307,173. 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 stock has a market cap of $80.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.06. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $285.11. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $268.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $259.02.

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 firm 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. Research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is 34.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly 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. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.