Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Sells 128,878 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 25.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 372,775 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 128,878 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.4% of Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP owned approximately 0.13% of Ecolab worth $99,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter valued at $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter worth $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on ECL. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE ECL opened at $279.36 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $269.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $243.15 and a one year high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,087,281.98. This trade represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,323,899.50. This trade represents a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.