Robeco Schweiz AG Reduces Position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL)

Robeco Schweiz AG lowered its position in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 213,886 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 54,142 shares during the quarter. Ecolab makes up approximately 1.3% of Robeco Schweiz AG's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Robeco Schweiz AG owned about 0.08% of Ecolab worth $54,224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Ecolab by 134.8% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Ecolab by 176.7% in the first quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ecolab in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

ECL traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $267.09. The stock had a trading volume of 966,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,180,551. The stock's 50 day moving average is $263.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $75.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.03. Ecolab Inc. has a one year low of $220.96 and a one year high of $274.17.

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

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.33%.

Insider Activity at Ecolab

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 19,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ECL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic downgraded Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $302.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Ecolab from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 price objective on Ecolab and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ecolab currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $287.00.

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.