Linscomb Wealth Inc. Grows Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Linscomb Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,588 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 803 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Ecolab by 202.6% in the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 115 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Ecolab in the second quarter worth about $41,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on Ecolab from $325.00 to $323.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ecolab from $299.00 to $291.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 target price on Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five 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 $294.77.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director Suzanne M. Vautrinot sold 1,354 shares of Ecolab 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 owned 11,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,171,108.84. This trade represents a 10.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $278.51 per share, for a total transaction of $167,106.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ecolab Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE ECL opened at $256.51 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $272.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $266.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Ecolab Inc. has a 52 week low of $221.62 and a 52 week high of $286.04. The company has a market capitalization of $72.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.09.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.36%.

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.