Ecolab Inc. $ECL Position Reduced by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 1.3% during the first quarter, now holding 144,678 shares valued at approximately $36.68 million.
• Ecolab's stock recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.89, slightly below analysts' consensus estimate of $1.90, with guidance for Q3 2025 set between 2.020-2.120 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65, with an annualized yield of 0.9%, and a payout ratio currently at 34.71%.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company cut its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 144,678 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,832 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.05% of Ecolab worth $36,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.8% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 5.0% in the first quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 902 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ecolab by 2.0% in the first quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 3.8% in the first quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Ecolab by 1.8% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,774 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ECL shares. Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $291.21.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL traded up $1.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $275.10. 1,526,616 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,302,298. The business's 50-day moving average price is $272.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last released 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). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion for 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. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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

Ecolab 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.