Truist Financial Corp Has $121.30 Million Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 442,929 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,749 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp owned approximately 0.16% of Ecolab worth $121,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 1.3% during the second quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Eads & Heald Wealth Management grew its holdings in Ecolab by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 7,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd increased its position in Ecolab by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.7% during the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 0.9% in the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on ECL shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ecolab from $315.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This represents a 19.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ECL opened at $281.44 on Thursday. Ecolab Inc. has a 1 year low of $221.62 and a 1 year high of $286.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $268.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $269.74.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a $0.73 dividend. This is a boost from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.95%.

Ecolab 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.