Tealwood Asset Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 7,681 Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Tealwood Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 7,681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,104,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $284,000. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 5,323 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,189.2% during the 1st quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 144,392 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,606,000 after purchasing an additional 133,192 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 2.5% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 225,079 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,645,000 after purchasing an additional 5,511 shares during the period. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,956,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ECL shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $323.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on Ecolab from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.57.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.1%

ECL opened at $265.86 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $75.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.20, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50 day moving average is $264.45 and its 200-day moving average is $268.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-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 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.49% and a return on equity of 22.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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. Equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 41.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of Ecolab 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the business’s 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 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

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.