Avity Investment Management Inc. Lowers Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Avity Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 118,161 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 17,248 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for approximately 2.1% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $32,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wexford Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Ecolab during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total transaction of $2,608,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.98, for a total value of $266,039.92. Following the sale, the director directly owned 11,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,087,281.98. This represents a 7.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 9,750 shares of company stock valued at $2,513,980. 0.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on ECL. Citigroup upped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $352.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.56.

Ecolab Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of ECL opened at $284.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $80.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.15 and a 1 year high of $309.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.76.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The business’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

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.