Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Reduces Stock Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. cut its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 3.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 132,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,655 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $37,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Wexford Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Ecolab in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $287.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $80.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.88. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.15 and a twelve month high of $309.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $278.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,431,170.48. This trade represents a 19.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ECL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $337.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

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.