Noesis Capital Mangement Corp Buys 4,768 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Noesis Capital Mangement Corp grew its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 8.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,334 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,768 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises 2.5% of Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in Ecolab during the second quarter valued at $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position 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 during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1,177.8% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $291.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three 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. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $294.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $257.60 per share, with a total value of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total transaction of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $268.85 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $263.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $268.88. The company has a market cap of $76.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.63, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.99. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The company had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. Analysts anticipate 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 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.