Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Bought by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 878,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 344,541 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $240,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 202.6% in the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% during the second 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. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. The trade was a 19.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.2%

Ecolab stock opened at $263.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $262.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $268.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.07. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. Ecolab’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

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

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.