Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Lowers Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 10.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 82,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 9,697 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $22,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,104,000. Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 62,911 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,169,000 after buying an additional 5,323 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $284,000. Robbins Farley lifted its position in Ecolab by 4,735.4% in the third quarter. Robbins Farley now owns 7,785 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 7,624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Ecolab by 7.5% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,661,320 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $454,969,000 after acquiring an additional 115,344 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,933,816. The trade was a 3.37% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $271.83 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $263.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $268.90. The company has a market capitalization of $76.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.06, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.99. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $286.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 41.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on ECL. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.86.

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.