YHB Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL – Free Report) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,024 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,130 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up approximately 1.2% of YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $18,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Everhart Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Ecolab by 2.4% during the third quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,087 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 4,609 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,052 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $838,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 61.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. now owns 613 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 43,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,955,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab
In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total value of $5,003,860.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. This represents a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.
Ecolab Stock Up 1.6%
Ecolab (NYSE:ECL – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.72% and a net margin of 12.57%.The company’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Ecolab Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.19%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have commented on ECL shares. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on Ecolab in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded Ecolab from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $275.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $327.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ecolab has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.67.
About Ecolab
Ecolab Inc (NYSE:ECL) is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and related services. The company helps businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations through specialized products, technologies, equipment and on-site expertise.
Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing solutions, water treatment and process-management systems, food safety programs, infection prevention products, pest elimination services and solutions for industrial operations. Ecolab serves customers in industries including hospitality, healthcare, food and beverage production, life sciences, manufacturing, energy, retail and institutional services.
The company was founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory and adopted the Ecolab name in 1986.
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