Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $287.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $271.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $285.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ecolab

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 134.8% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% during the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:ECL opened at $267.09 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $263.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.28. The company has a market capitalization of $75.75 billion, a PE ratio of 36.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ecolab has a 1-year low of $220.96 and a 1-year high of $274.17.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.50. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.53%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. Ecolab's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Ecolab will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Ecolab's payout ratio is currently 35.33%.

About Ecolab

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.

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