Capital Advisors Inc. OK Boosts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 158,730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 5,439 shares during the quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK owned approximately 0.06% of Ecolab worth $43,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $604,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,501,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Bell Bank lifted its stake in Ecolab by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,449 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,592 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank started coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $299.00 to $291.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three investment 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 company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.57.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $262.67 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $263.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.72. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $74.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. 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%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.95%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.