Carnegie Investment Counsel Lowers Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Carnegie Investment Counsel cut its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 147,424 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 5,428 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel owned approximately 0.05% of Ecolab worth $40,373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter worth $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. 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 report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.57.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE ECL opened at $265.86 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $264.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $268.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.30 billion, a PE ratio of 38.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.98.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $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, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 41.95%.

Ecolab Company Profile

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.