Smallest dividend increase for Ecolab in more than a decade
The Board of Directors of Ecolab Inc. declared a 2% increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend to $0.47 per common share, to be paid January 15, 2020, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 17, 2019. This increase results in a new indicated annual cash dividend of $1.88 per share in 2020 and represents Ecolab’s 28th consecutive annual dividend rate increase.
The next dividend will be paid January 15, 2020, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 17, 2019. A new annual rate of $1.88 per share yields 1.0% at a stock price of $186.41.
Commenting on the increase, Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, “The cash dividend increase continues our commitment to enhancing total shareholder returns through both our strong business performance and returning cash to shareholders. This smaller than typical increase for 2020 reflects the anticipated impact the planned spin-off of our upstream energy business will have on our earnings. We intend to continue increasing the cash dividend going forward and do so in a manner that maintains our post spin-off payout ratio at our historic levels.”
A trusted partner at more than one million customer locations, Ecolab (ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With 2016 sales of $13 billion and 48,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world.
