HB Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,736 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,943 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $7,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Ecolab by 202.6% in the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.86.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $271.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $263.32 and a 200 day moving average of $268.90. The firm has a market cap of $76.99 billion, a PE ratio of 39.06, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.