UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Acquires 145,902 Shares of Ecolab Inc. $ECL

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 4.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,805,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 145,902 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 1.34% of Ecolab worth $964,885,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Ecolab Trading Up 0.6%

ECL stock opened at $275.21 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.06 billion, a PE ratio of 36.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.07. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $221.62 and a 12 month high of $286.04. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $272.68 and its 200 day moving average is $261.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

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 company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.52% and a net margin of 13.59%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 16th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ecolab’s payout ratio is currently 34.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ECL shares. Baird R W raised shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.00.

Insider Activity

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

Ecolab Company 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.