Inscription Capital LLC Increases Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Inscription Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 179.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares during the quarter. Inscription Capital LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ECL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the third 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 period. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $19,773,000 after purchasing an additional 14,800 shares during the last quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $2,104,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Ecolab by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 205,951 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $56,402,000 after purchasing an additional 4,670 shares during the period. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 9.2% during 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $295.31.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $273.01 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $266.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.18. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $286.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 directly owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% 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.