University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. Purchases 3,428 Shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Key Points

• The University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Ecolab Inc. by 32.4%, owning 14,005 shares valued at approximately $3.55 million.
• Ecolab's revenue for the last quarter was $3.70 billion, slightly below analyst expectations, along with a year-over-year revenue decline of 1.5%.
• Citigroup recently raised its price target on Ecolab shares from $285.00 to $325.00 and assigned a "buy" rating, reflecting positive market sentiment around the stock.

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 32.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,428 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $3,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ECL. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 176.7% in the 1st 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 4th quarter worth $31,000. Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its stake in Ecolab by 70.6% during the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Ecolab during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. 74.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of ECL stock traded up $1.44 on Thursday, reaching $264.57. 519,369 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,329,294. The company has a market cap of $75.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.31, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $266.72 and a 200-day moving average of $256.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $221.62 and a one year high of $274.17.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th were paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.33%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,465 shares in the company, valued at $4,900,313.75. This represents a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on Ecolab from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Ecolab from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Seaport Res Ptn raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Ecolab from $307.00 to $303.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $289.47.

Ecolab Company 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.