Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Zurich increased its Ecolab stake by 160.1% in the third quarter, purchasing 29,311 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 47,615 shares valued at approximately $13.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.91% of Ecolab.
• Ecolab reported quarterly EPS of $2.18, matching analyst estimates, while revenue rose 12.7% year over year to $4.69 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.73 per share, representing a 0.9% yield.
• Ecolab shares opened at $308.48, near their 52-week high, and analysts maintained a generally positive outlook with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $328.58.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 160.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,615 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,311 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Ecolab were worth $13,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $20,424,000. Stevens Capital Partners acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the third quarter worth about $269,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 659,235 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $181,013,000 after buying an additional 22,263 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in Ecolab by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 11,180 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,070,000 after buying an additional 1,263 shares during the period. Finally, Grandfield & Dodd LLC increased its holdings in Ecolab by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 29,375 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $8,066,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL opened at $308.48 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $282.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $276.31. The stock has a market cap of $86.48 billion, a PE ratio of 41.97, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.11. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.15 and a fifty-two week high of $310.00.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The basic materials company reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18. The company had revenue of $4.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.57% and a net margin of 11.99%. Ecolab's revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.73%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, CEO Christophe Beck sold 17,862 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.14, for a total transaction of $5,003,860.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 72,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,431,170.48. The trade was a 19.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $337.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Ecolab from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, September 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $345.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ecolab from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $328.58.

About Ecolab

Ecolab Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene, infection prevention and cleaning solutions for businesses and institutions. The company helps customers manage water and energy use, maintain sanitary operations, protect food supplies and comply with health and safety standards.

Ecolab serves customers across industries including food and beverage processing, hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, institutional facilities and energy. Its offerings include cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, water-treatment and process-management systems, pest-control services, kitchen and housekeeping products, infection-prevention programs, and related equipment, training and consulting services.

Founded in 1923 as Economics Laboratory, the company has expanded from its original focus on cleaning products into a broad range of technology-enabled services and solutions.

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