Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Blair William & Co. IL

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL has reduced its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 3.5%, now holding 814,133 shares valued at approximately $206 million.
• A number of hedge funds have increased their positions in Ecolab, with GAMMA Investing LLC boosting its stake by an astonishing 27,182.2% in the same quarter.
• Ecolab recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, yielding 1.0%, while the company reported earnings per share of $1.89, slightly missing analyst expectations.

Blair William & Co. IL trimmed its position in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 814,133 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 29,901 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL owned 0.29% of Ecolab worth $206,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ecolab during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 70.6% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:ECL traded up $1.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $265.37. 240,169 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,320,397. The firm has a market cap of $75.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $274.17. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $266.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $256.92.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.01). Ecolab had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 22.52%. The business had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 500 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $251.75 per share, for a total transaction of $125,875.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,900,313.75. This trade represents a 2.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ECL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $290.71.

Ecolab Profile

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.