Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Sold by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. decreased its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,273 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 129 shares during the period. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $4,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 176.7% during the 1st quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 70.6% during the 1st 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 period. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $271.04 on Friday. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $221.62 and a fifty-two week high of $286.04. The stock has a market cap of $76.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average of $272.33 and a 200-day moving average of $261.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last released its 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 business had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. Ecolab has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 7.420-7.620 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Ecolab in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Ecolab to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ecolab from $293.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $307.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Mizuho raised 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 20,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,640,663.03. This trade represents a 3.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total value of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.