Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Acquires New Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 49,415 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,533,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Ecolab by 1,177.8% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 81.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ECL shares. Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $296.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,933,816. This represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $279.79 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $266.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.26. The stock has a market cap of $79.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.20, a PEG ratio of 2.36 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 current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.07. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were paid a $0.73 dividend. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend 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.