Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Resona Asset Management reduced its Ecolab stake by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,998 shares and ending with 298,146 shares worth about $78.6 million.
• Ecolab reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.70 matching estimates and revenue of $4.07 billion beating expectations; revenue also rose 10% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, and analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $322.53.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 298,146 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 6,998 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.11% of Ecolab worth $78,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 6,353 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 989 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 86,972 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $22,832,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 11,361 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,983,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 4,767 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,245,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $249.17 on Tuesday. 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 capitalization of $70.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $265.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.69. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $245.25 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 39.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $337.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.53.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,358 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $250.65 per share, with a total value of $250,650.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. This represents a 4.13% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

About Ecolab

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ECL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.