Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 98.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,399 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 80,040 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $847,544,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Ecolab by 119.7% during the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,036,339 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $548,671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109,585 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 115.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 727,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $193,753,000 after purchasing an additional 389,981 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $240,676,000 after purchasing an additional 344,541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,662,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,644,987,000 after purchasing an additional 250,980 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $281.92 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $286.04. The firm has a market cap of $79.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.51, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.42.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted 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. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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 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 was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. 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. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $296.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.