Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Sold by Norris Perne & French LLP MI

Norris Perne & French LLP MI decreased its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 17.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,006 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 21,972 shares during the quarter. Ecolab accounts for about 2.0% of Norris Perne & French LLP MI's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Norris Perne & French LLP MI's holdings in Ecolab were worth $26,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,598 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $661,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 2,501 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,784 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $706,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Ecolab by 7.8% during the first quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 4,884 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Ecolab by 2.7% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 29,515 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,482,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Price Performance

Ecolab stock opened at $260.14 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $254.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.42. Ecolab Inc. has a 12 month low of $220.96 and a 12 month high of $273.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.78 billion, a PE ratio of 35.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.03.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 22.53%. Ecolab's quarterly revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on ECL. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $295.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ecolab has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.13.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 19,465 shares in the company, valued at $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

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.

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