AlTi Global Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

AlTi Global Inc. raised its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 139.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the period. AlTi Global Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $492,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ECL. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in Ecolab by 134.8% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Navigoe LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

ECL stock traded up $1.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $254.38. 1,323,431 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,156,405. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $220.96 and a 52-week high of $273.69. The company has a market capitalization of $72.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $248.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $247.72.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.50. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.71 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.42% and a return on equity of 22.50%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.33%.

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, EVP Machiel Duijser sold 5,721 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.04, for a total value of $1,510,572.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 3,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $996,486.96. This represents a 60.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 856 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.37, for a total value of $228,868.72. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,106,911.80. This represents a 17.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 17,435 shares of company stock valued at $4,637,985 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Ecolab from $306.00 to $294.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Argus raised shares of Ecolab to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $282.47.

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.