Clean Yield Group Buys 16,915 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Clean Yield Group boosted its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 33,166.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,966 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 16,915 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for approximately 1.3% of Clean Yield Group’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Clean Yield Group’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ECL. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in Ecolab by 1.3% during the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ecolab news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

ECL stock opened at $268.85 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $263.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $268.88. 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 12-month low of $221.62 and a 12-month high of $286.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.15 billion, a PE ratio of 38.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays raised their price objective on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.86.

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.