CHICAGO TRUST Co NA Trims Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lowered its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,650 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,345 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab during the 1st quarter valued at $284,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,189.2% during the first quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 144,392 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,606,000 after buying an additional 133,192 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. bought a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $29,956,000. Truist Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.0% in the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 437,180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $117,794,000 after buying an additional 8,608 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 108,125 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,133,000 after acquiring an additional 989 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $263.46 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $265.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $268.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company has a market capitalization of $74.62 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.98. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04.

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

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ECL. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $299.00 to $291.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% 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 is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.