UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Acquires 3,138 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 134,336 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,138 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $36,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $807,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management increased its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% in the second quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd lifted its stake in Ecolab by 4.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 4.7% during the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,246,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of ECL stock opened at $281.92 on Friday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $267.28 and a 200-day moving average of $269.41. The company has a market capitalization of $79.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 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 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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. As a group, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 41.95%.

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.