Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Bought by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,525 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 5,524 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $27,006,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of ECL stock traded down $2.86 during trading on Thursday, reaching $263.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,675,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,167,090. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $74.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $256.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.95. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $220.96 and a 1-year high of $273.69.

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

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.13.

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.