Truist Financial Corp Boosts Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 2.0%, owning a total of 437,180 shares valued at approximately $117.8 million at the end of the second quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Brighton Jones LLC and NBC Securities Inc., made significant adjustments to their positions in Ecolab, with Brighton Jones increasing its holdings by 164.7% in the last quarter.
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, scheduled to be paid on October 15th, representing a 0.9% dividend yield based on its current stock price.

Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 2.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 437,180 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,608 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned 0.15% of Ecolab worth $117,794,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 159,300.0% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,594 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 1,593 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 669.6% during the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,586 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $656,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 65.4% in the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 1,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silverberg Bernstein Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter worth about $272,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the sale, the director owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. The trade was a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.3%

Ecolab stock opened at $273.80 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. The stock has a market cap of $77.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $272.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.75.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on ECL. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho upped their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.00.

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.

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