Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Has $8.91 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Rakuten Investment Management reduced its Ecolab stake by 32.1% in Q4, selling 15,867 shares and leaving it with 33,548 shares worth about $8.91 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Ecolab, with several firms raising or reaffirming buy ratings and a consensus target price of $323.41.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $1.70, matching estimates, and revenue of $4.07 billion that topped expectations; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 32.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,548 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 15,867 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $325.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $330.00 to $325.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.41.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,539,712.37. This trade represents a 23.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Benjamin M. Clark purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $263.83 per share, with a total value of $263,830.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 1,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $285,727.89. This represents a 1,204.82% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $274.15 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $261.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.25. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.15 and a 52-week high of $309.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $77.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.10, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.90.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.64% and a net margin of 12.80%.The business had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Ecolab's revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.51%.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.

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