iA Global Asset Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 20.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,159 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,872 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $281.92 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $221.62 and a twelve month high of $286.04. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $267.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $269.42. The firm has a market cap of $79.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.99.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho set a $315.00 price target on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays lifted 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. Finally, Evercore ISI raised 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 report on Monday, November 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 currently owned by insiders.

About Ecolab

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.