New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 5,488 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

New York State Teachers Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 192,863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 5,488 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.07% of Ecolab worth $52,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in Ecolab by 64.5% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $240,676,000 after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the last quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 25.8% in the third quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. now owns 72,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,773,000 after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares in the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $2,104,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Ecolab by 2.3% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 205,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $56,402,000 after purchasing an additional 4,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its stake in Ecolab by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 62,911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,169,000 after buying an additional 5,323 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’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 transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL opened at $271.74 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $263.62 and a 200-day moving average of $268.97. The stock has a market cap of $76.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $315.00 price objective on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.92.

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.