Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Cuts Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB reduced its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 18.6%, owning 11,420 shares worth approximately $3.07 million after selling 2,615 shares in the second quarter.
• Ecolab recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.0% and a payout ratio of 34.71%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Ecolab, with a price target averaging $292.29, following recent upgrades from firms like BMO Capital Markets and UBS Group.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB trimmed its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,420 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,615 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of Ecolab 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 sale, the senior vice president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $273.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $274.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $263.33. The stock has a market cap of $77.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.09. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Erste Group Bank started coverage on Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $292.29.

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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