Ecolab Inc. $ECL Shares Acquired by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its holdings in Ecolab Inc. by 42%, owning 20,682 shares valued at approximately $5.24 million after acquiring an additional 6,115 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have varied views on Ecolab, with Mizuho raising its target price to $305 and Baird upgrading its rating to "strong-buy," resulting in a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Ecolab announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, to be paid on October 15th, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.9% and a payout ratio of 34.71%.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 42.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,682 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,115 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $5,243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ECL. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Ecolab by 70.6% during the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the first quarter worth $38,000. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ECL shares. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $295.00 target price (up from $293.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho upped their target price on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird raised Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $291.21.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $278.51 per share, with a total value of $167,106.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 20,253 shares in the company, valued at $5,640,663.03. The trade was a 3.05% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer J. Bradway sold 807 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.28, for a total transaction of $225,378.96. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,165.28. The trade was a 15.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

NYSE:ECL opened at $280.85 on Monday. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $281.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $79.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.50, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's fifty day moving average is $268.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.81.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Research analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 16th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.71%.

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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