Cantillon Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Cantillon Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 92.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,016,637 shares during the period. Cantillon Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $21,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 164.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 39.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ecolab by 2.5% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,644 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $982,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC grew its holdings in Ecolab by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 2,641 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 28.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,770 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,555,000 after acquiring an additional 1,280 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ecolab from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $296.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Boo Alexander A. De sold 1,422 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.25, for a total value of $381,451.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,535,999.50. This trade represents a 19.89% 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, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. This trade represents a 23.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

Shares of ECL stock opened at $281.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market cap of $79.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $266.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $269.34. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $286.04.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.57 EPS. Ecolab’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 16th. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio 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.