Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Purchased by Gries Financial LLC

Gries Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,073 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Gries Financial LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in Ecolab by 176.7% during the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% in the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Olde Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of ECL opened at $265.82 on Wednesday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The company’s fifty day moving average is $272.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.26. The firm has a market cap of $75.39 billion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.90 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $283.16, for a total transaction of $383,398.64. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,165.28. This trade represents a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.