AlphaQuest LLC Lowers Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

AlphaQuest LLC trimmed its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 84.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 8,697 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $420,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 202.6% in the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth about $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Trading Down 4.1%

ECL opened at $257.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $73.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $273.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $266.15. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.70.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $323.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday. Erste Group Bank began coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $295.62.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

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 value of $225,378.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 20,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Ecolab

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.