Vest Financial LLC Sells 21,104 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Vest Financial LLC trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 9.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 204,247 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 21,104 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Ecolab worth $55,935,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in Ecolab during the third quarter worth $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $273.01 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.99.

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. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ECL. Citigroup decreased their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $295.31.

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.