Toth Financial Advisory Corp Purchases 1,284 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 3.2%, acquiring an additional 1,284 shares, bringing total holdings to 40,825 shares valued at approximately $11 million.
• Ecolab's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $1.89, slightly missing analysts' expectations, with revenues matching estimates at $4.03 billion.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, which represents an annualized dividend yield of approximately 1.0% and is set to be paid on October 15th.

Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,825 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Ecolab makes up 1.3% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Toth Financial Advisory Corp's holdings in Ecolab were worth $11,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Nemes Rush Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 6.6% during the first quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 42,899 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,651 shares during the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 32.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 3,428 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 15.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Mirabaud & Cie SA raised its holdings 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 worth $1,291,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 19,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE ECL traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $265.63. 2,441,158 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,288,262. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $272.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $261.25. The company has a market capitalization of $75.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.07. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04. 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 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 firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given 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 yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's payout ratio is 34.71%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup cut their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. 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. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $292.00.

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.