Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Federated Hermes Inc.

Key Points

• Federated Hermes Inc. reduced its stake in Ecolab by 5.2%, owning 64,936 shares valued at approximately $16.46 million after selling 3,554 shares in the first quarter.
• Ecolab's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $1.89, slightly missing analyst estimates by 1 cent, with a revenue matching predictions at $4.03 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, equating to an annualized $2.60 dividend and a 1.0% dividend yield.

Federated Hermes Inc. lowered its holdings in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 64,936 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,554 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $16,463,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Forum Financial Management LP grew its stake in shares of Ecolab by 2.8% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ecolab by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 2,980 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC now owns 902 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 2,199 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 1.8% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,774 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Price Performance

Shares of ECL traded up $3.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $264.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 716,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,185,174. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $221.62 and a 1-year high of $274.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.73.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Ecolab

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ECL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ecolab from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $273.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer raised Ecolab to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Baird R W raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $290.71.

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.