Lbp Am Sa Sells 34,786 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Lbp Am Sa lessened its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 29.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,397 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 34,786 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $22,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 202.6% during the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 81.5% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ECL opened at $281.92 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $267.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.42. Ecolab Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $286.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

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

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.95%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In related news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,989,868.04. This represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

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.