Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 36.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,124 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 9,065 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 1.3% during the 2nd 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. Eads & Heald Wealth Management boosted its position in Ecolab by 0.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays lifted their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $295.31.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $277.20 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $265.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $269.17. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The firm has a market cap of $78.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 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, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The company 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 business’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend 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.