Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,323 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $17,169,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 202.6% during the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Three equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.57.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE ECL opened at $263.46 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. The firm has a market cap of $74.62 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $265.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.87. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

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.