Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,124 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 9,065 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in 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. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its position 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 period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $277.20 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04. The company has a market cap of $78.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $265.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $269.17.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. 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. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $295.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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 value of $5,676,256.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab 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.