Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Trims Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. has reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 42.9%, selling 26,162 shares during the first quarter, now holding 34,759 shares valued at approximately $8.8 million.
• Analysts have given Ecolab a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average target price of $291.21, reflecting confidence despite a slight EPS miss in recent quarterly earnings.
• Ecolab's board has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an upcoming pay date of October 15th, representing an annualized yield of 0.9%.

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lessened its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 42.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 34,759 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 26,162 shares during the quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $8,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 176.7% during the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 70.6% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 11,199 shares in the company, valued at $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $291.21.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.6%

ECL traded down $4.5150 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $279.2150. 264,663 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,300,816. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $269.98 and a 200 day moving average of $259.98. The firm has a market cap of $79.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%.The business had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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