Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Has $99.17 Million Stake in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP reduced its stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 25.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 372,775 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 128,878 shares during the period. Ecolab comprises about 1.4% of Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $99,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its position in Ecolab by 42.9% in the 1st quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 22,388 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,956,000 after buying an additional 6,722 shares during the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,701,151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $452,537,000 after acquiring an additional 109,877 shares during the last quarter. Bull Harbor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 6.9% in the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This represents a 1,345.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $250.65 per share, for a total transaction of $250,650.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,323,899.50. The trade was a 4.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 10,550 shares of company stock worth $2,719,508 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Bank of America upped their target price on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL opened at $279.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $78.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $269.10 and a 200 day moving average of $273.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.84. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th were issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 16th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

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.