Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Baillie Gifford & Co.

Baillie Gifford & Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 711,667 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 16,675 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 0.25% of Ecolab worth $194,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in Ecolab by 1.3% during the second quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the second quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd raised its stake in Ecolab by 4.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ecolab by 4.7% during the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 0.9% in the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Erste Group Bank lowered Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $296.00.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $281.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $79.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $286.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $267.28 and its 200-day moving average is $269.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its 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 return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. Ecolab’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. Equities analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 41.95%.

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.