Robeco Schweiz AG Cuts Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Robeco Schweiz AG decreased its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 182,669 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,011 shares during the quarter. Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $50,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 202.6% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.92.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $273.56 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04. The company has a market cap of $77.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.30, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $264.20 and its 200 day moving average is $269.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $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. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was 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 currently 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.