Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $168.16 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 614,020 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,584 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $168,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position 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 period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% during 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.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total value of $5,676,256.74. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.3%

Ecolab stock opened at $270.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $263.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.02.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on ECL shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Three equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.92.

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.